Even now you remain my light
by MariDark
Summary: "The Stones…they call for you, priestess." Kagome's wish is forgotten. She can't remember how she ended up in the future, where aliens rain war on Earth. She's doesn't know how she ended up in another's body, another's life. It must be another one of the Shikon Jewel's illusions. It has to be.
1. Awaken

_"Every choice that we make creates countless other possibilities. A What-if to infinity."_ — Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

•••

"Kagome-chan! Wake up!"

White noise overlaps whoever is calling her. It's strange and painful, the grating noise in her ears and mind. It rises in a crescendo-like static that would have her writhing in agony had it been not for numbness lapping at her consciousness. The volume increases until snapping to a high keening noise that brings her to the living world. The world she sees when her eyes open is brightly lit, floating dots roaming lazily into the light. She's deaf, unfeeling and unmoving. A face hovers in front of her, feminine and familiar, a cheerful smile on thin lips that move but make no sound.

She blinks, trying to shake away the silence and remember where exactly she is. Looking around, she recognizes a classroom, empty of its students if not for her and the strangely familiar girl leaning over her sleeping form. Slowly, she uses one hand to swap at the small drop of drool falling from her mouth, sitting properly and blinking at the clean blackboard. What she assumes is her own schoolbag is on her desk, a small wet spot telling her she had been using it as a pillow. She notices the room is already clean, obviously after class hours with the sun so high up in the sky. Rain falls softly outside. There's a broom resting on the desk in front of hers, cleaning utensils at its feet. Everything feels…new. Distorted.

Something doesn't feel right.

"We're gonna be late, Kagome-chan!" Snapping her gaze back to the girl, she frowns. Something in the back of her mind is nagging and wary. Despite this feeling, she nods, body moving on its own to gather her things. She grabs the school bag, throwing it over one shoulder at the same time she reaches back to grab something long and heavy that snaps her back into her senses. A bow is kept into the worn bag, well loved and heavy in her hand. It's a familiar weight at the same time that it isn't.

It's not the weapon she is used to. Why would she keep such a vital and powerful artifact into a measly weak bag? Where it's harder to draw and fight? Why would she bring it to school?

Staggering to a halt, Kagome remembers who she is. She remembers a Jewel and an illusion and a seduction. InuYasha's desperate calls and the loneliness of the void, the Shikon Jewel's urgings for her to make a wish.

( _"Make your wish."_ )

Looking at the girl in front of her, Kagome recognizes her as Yuka, outspoken and witty Yuka who is carrying a similar bag. Could it be a glitch in the illusion? The Jewel's version of an alternative fate where they practiced archery together?

"Yuka-chan," her friend blinks, still smiling as bright as when she had been awakened. "What do you mean…?"

"Eeh?" She tilts her head, unaware of the rising panic Kagome feels as she answers her. "Archery training, of course! It's our last year before college! We can't lose the Regionals for those rats from Kyoto again!" Kagome never practiced archery in school, but, more importantly, she definitely isn't in her last year of high school. "You need to stop sleeping in after cleaning days, Kagome!"

She ignores her, waiting for the sudden shift. Like last time, when she finally remembered InuYasha and the illusion dissipated. But, now, she's not taken to the real well's shrine. No dark void replaces the brightly lit classroom around her. Yuka remains waiting, face shifting into a worried frown Kagome usually saw back when she tried to convince her to leave InuYasha.

The world keeps turning, and the illusion doesn't end.

 _What are you playing at, Shikon?_

A beat passes. Kagome's heart is pounding in her chest, so loud it sounds like thunder. The need to break through it, to draw her bow and pierce a sacred arrow through this terrible dream is too strong. Her head is aching, thoughts fluttering as distant sounds — _is someone shooting something? a gun? what is happening? what is this heat this power this place what is happening_ — penetrate through her panic.

The answer is there, in her mind, and she utters "Disappear…" while shaking terribly. But Yuka remains in front of her, worry changing into confusion. It makes her want to explode. As if her skin is expanding and pulling at the seams. This is not Yuka. This is not real. It's the Jewel. "I wish that you _disappear_."

"EEEH?! KAGOME!" The girl stomps her foot down, features twisting into anger and confusion and hurt. It makes Kagome flinch away from her, wide eyes and mouth agape. "What's gotten into you today?!" She crosses her arms, hurt clear in her eyes. Kagome opens her mouth to apologize but then, this is not Yuka and it's not real. "You've been weird for a while now!"

The illusion doesn't dissipate.

There's no Jewel, there's no void. Distantly, she hears a voice, a flash of blue takes her from this moment into another. She sees a tired face, long dark hair, green clothes and gold, unnaturally blue eyes that shine in fright. Soon, there's another pair, and another, and another. Four of them — _who are you what are you why why why —_ stare at her. The vision is soon replaced by Yuka's deeply concerned face asking what is going on with her.

It — _painpainpain_ — leaves her breathless, and she falls to the floor. Distantly, she notes that Yuka is screaming. She's soon deaf to her though, as the same sensation keeps repeating, taking her to this moment into another. There are darkness and light, stars and pain as her mind keeps tearing itself apart. She's disconnected from reality, unbound from it even as she exists. It's painful. She wants it to stop. She wishes it to stop. Kagome feels like she's expanding, like's she's missing pieces and falling apart trying to grab them back.

 _MAKE IT STOP! I WISH THIS WOULD STOP!_

Hands grab her, lifting her. She's losing sight of reality, Yuka is not there anymore, only strange faces. Darkness welcomes her into a painless lull, and yet the Jewel doesn't welcome her with its taunting disembodied voice. There's no InuYasha calling for her.

She feels terribly alone.

•••

The infirmary she wakes up in is bleached of colors, sterile and empty like Kagome herself at that moment. Her mother — _is this truly mama_ — is by her side, worried. She doesn't listen to the nurse or to her own mother's comforting words as she helps her out of the bed and out the school. Yuka is there by the gate, and Kagome looks at her, not knowing what to say or what to do. She settles onto nothing, passing by silently with only a nod of acknowledgment.

Mama stays behind to talk with Yuka, not noticing when Kagome passes her. There's a twitch of something in her heart when Mama's reproaching voice calls her back before hastily moving to accompany her. She asks what's wrong and Kagome almost says "you". But she can't find the courage to do it. The illusion is too…real. Everything is too real, and the Jewel remains silent despite her many wishes — _go away take away the pain make it go away disappear_ — and pleadings.

They walk in silence, and her mind hurts and hurts and hurts.

•••

The illusion of her mama leads her to a car that is different. More sleek, smaller. Inside it, there's a panel with no buttons, and Kagome stares as Mama fiddles with it, touching the screen as if the buttons are there. The device lights up and unfamiliar music fills up the heavy silence that sits over them. Kagome gulps down the bile rising up her throat, pushing her hands between her thighs in an effort to hide their shaking.

When they come into a busier street, Kagome sees a different but familiar world. Tokyo is a welcoming sight, but the twists of this strange illusion are glaring and unsettling. Buildings rise higher, and there's advertising to things she had never seen before. TV's that are as flat as a needle is shown proudly in one small panel to their left, on a bus stop ad. What appears to be phones, and products and people she had never seen are glaring back at her. There's not one of the celebrities' faces of her time.

People dress a tad differently. Cars are sleeker, faster.

Kagome wonders if this is the future. Did the Jewel send her into the future? An illusion of the future? A reincarnation? Where, like Kikyo, she would meet InuYasha again, just not the way she wanted?

 _("What should I wish for?"_

 _"_ _To see InuYasha. Be true to yourself.")_

There's agony at the thought of it. The sole idea that she perpetuated the suffering of centuries caused by the Jewel by wishing for something so selfish. The answer for the _right_ wish is obvious now, clear as the untouched waters from high up in the mountains. Kagome remembers the Jewel, its taunting voice beckoning her to wish for the security of InuYasha's arms around her. She remembers despair and hoping so desperately for him, the desire to have him near so overwhelming it brought her to tears.

She does not remember acting on that desire. There's no clear memory of any wish, of InuYasha reaching her or any further illusions.

Looking at the woman sharing the same face of her mama, sitting beside her with a silent frown on her brow, Kagome prays she's in an illusion. She prays with all of her might and faith that this is the Shikon Jewel's deception. It's unbearable to think that Kagome, at any point, would dare to wish for something she knows would only bring pain and disaster. But didn't she wish for the pain to stop just a few minutes back? Didn't she fall in a pit of despair so deep that she found herself wishing something simple, and yet so selfish?

Why didn't it work at her first wish? How many times had she wished for the Shikon to disappear by now? How many times had she wished for the pain to stop? There's no energy spike, no spiritual residue or power surge in her senses answering to her calls. She can't feel the Jewel, can't sense any lies around her.

But there's an itch in her mind. She remembers the Jewel, remembers her resolve. Something happened. If this is real, if she's not inside an illusion, then she wished for something in that void that sent her here.

What did she do?

•••

The hospital the woman takes her to has the very same scent and feel to the infirmary at the school. Kagome lets Mama answer their questions and lets them make their tests, watching silently and answering their questions as curtly as possible. By the end of it, she's sitting on a cold chair by the wall. Mama is worried, and while waiting for her in the corridor, Kagome sees her whispering furiously to the doctor.

She shifts her gaze to the ground, an irrational desire to apologize to this woman who shares her mother's face. This illusion? This woman? She doesn't even look older than what Kagome remembers.

From the corner of her eye, she sees white hair and, for a moment, her heart is light and free. His name is on the tip of her tongue when she notices that it's not white, just very fair blonde. Right in front of her eyes. One trembling hand goes up, grabs a lock of thick, full, wavy hair bound by a high ponytail she had felt brushing the middle of her back, and brings it forward. Her hair isn't its usual lustrous black, it is blond.

"Kagome," she lets it go with a flinch, blinking back tears and gulping down a scream as she turns back to Mama. "The doctor says we should come back for some scams if you back out again, but he gave you something for…" Her dark eye moves blearily to her shaking hands. "…for the shaking. And the pain." The trembly smile she gives only makes make Kagome bite on her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes as she turns away and crosses her arms. Her fingernails dig in her skin as she hugs herself.

The shaking doesn't stop, the pain in her head remains when she is brought somewhere else again, her vision shifting to accommodate another place and time that isn't clear enough. Another pair of eyes turns unnatural blue as her head _pulses._

A hand on her shoulder brings her back and Kagome blinks away the vision to focus on her mother. Mama looks on the verge of tears and Kagome tries to smile at her, reassure her somehow that everything was fine.

It didn't look like it works.

•••

There's no way to describe how she feels as her mother doesn't go anywhere near their shrine. They arrive at a modern, high-rising, apartment building. It looks expansive. It looks spacious. It's nothing familiar. It's nothing like what she is used to.

 _This isn't home._

It's only when they are finally in front of a modern, big door with electric lock, when her mom is taking out a freaking _card_ to swipe on the lock, that she feels the cold. Her limbs feel like lead when the door opens to reveal an enormous apartment with floor to ceiling windows with view to the Tokyo skyline. Her little brother is sitting on a gigantic fluffy rug by a _giant_ and thin TV that looks like something right out of a movie. It's modern and sleek and western and everything Kagome never lived with before.

 _This isn't home._

"Ah! You're back!" Souta — _are you truly him are you my brother_ — smiles, pausing the loud game he is playing to run to Mama and her, pulling them into a hug with arms that barely could hold them both. Mama laughs, almost relieved, and brings them both close. Kagome is afraid to touch this boy who should be her brother. He looks the same, same hair, same eyes. But he looks thinner, ganglier, taller. He lets go of them, looking back into the apartment. Is that a freaking dining table or a meeting room? It's too big. There's a wall with a window behind it, dividing the room from what may be the kitchen.

It's then that Kagome notices Souta's _clothes_. Western styled, like those rich boys from the films. He's using shoes inside!

"Papa! Kagome and Mama are home!"

A blond man comes from behind the wall dividing the kitchen. Blond haired, blue eyed, full of freckles and a small smile on his lips as he goes to the table, putting a pot on it as mom moves to put a kiss on his cheek. He smiles at her, responding with a short but sweet kiss to her lips before moving his striking, mesmerizing eyes to Kagome.

"Ah, _mi_ _juvel_ ," She's frozen to her spot. Wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights, like cornered prey ready to strike. There's a ticking clock inside her head, ticking away to time, ready to explode. "I was so worried when your mom texted me," His hair is wavy, falling just on top of his shoulder. Its color is the exact same one as the one on her head. "Tell me what happened, _juvel_."

"I'm putting your things in your room, sweetie," Mama goes down a wide corridor, opening a wide door as the man who Souta calls Papa asks for his help on bringing the food to the table. The man brushes Souta's hair behind his ear, soft and calm and everything warm and loving in his eyes as he sends the boy to the kitchen.

Alone with him, Kagome suffocates. There are vague images and sounds of another man, darker haired, Asian. Simple and Japanese where this man standing in this reality — _this is not real this is not real this can't be real_ — is clearly not. He has freckles, his skin is far too pale. He has a worried frown on his bushy brows, full mouth still pulling at the corners into that soft smile even as he stares at her frozen form.

"What is it, _liten_ _edelstein_?" He walked up to her, and the closer he got the real it seemed. "What happened at school that got you sick? You were fine this morn-" He suddenly is too close, hand moving to her shoulder and she _bolts_ away from him. She runs inside this awful, terrible, apartment. Mama is leaving the room she assumed is hers, and Kagome goes inside and slams the door closed. She twists the lock and falls to the floor. They are screaming for her, calling her name and asking what happened and asking if she was fine and _it's too much_.

 _Where's InuYasha?_

"Kagome! Kagome, what's wrong?" The man is right behind the door. She can hear Souta asking what happened, Mama shushing him and walking away. "Kagome, _fortell meg hva som er galt_." She can't understand him. She can't. She doesn't know what he is saying and…tears fall down. A sob comes up and escapes her throat as if it's going to tear her insides out. A thud from behind the door, and she knows he is listening to her. He is probably on the floor, face glued to the door and wide eyes searching, roaming the piece of wood between them like it would answer all his doubts.

Silly man, she thinks. As if this door could ever give him any clue to what is happening.

Another sob escapes, followed by a terrifying wail. She clamps her hands over her mouth, trying in vain to muffle the horrible sounds she's making. She slams her head on the door, fingers clawing up to her eyes, covering her face as she cries. Should she tear her eyes out, could she stop this illusion? Could she stop this farce?

" _V_ _æ_ _r så snill, ikke gj_ _ø_ _r dette for meg_ , Kagome-chan." There's a note of despair in his deep voice. In this stranger's voice, Kagome finds more worry and love than what she remembers from her Papa. " _La meg fikse det_ _,"_ he knocks, quick and firm. " _La meg fikse dette for deg_ _!_ "

"I wish you'd disappear," and she doesn't know who she says this to.

Is it to this strange man? To the Jewel? To this illusion?

The only selfless wish that could destroy that horrible Jewel tastes awfully selfish on her tongue now.

 _This isn't home._

•••

Hours pass, but the man remains on the other side of the door. The night is painful, with flashes of blue light mingling with reality and blue eyes peering at her from the shadows inside the bedroom. The room has the same floor to ceiling length windows facing out toward the city. The view is amazing, one of the most wondrous things she has ever beheld in her time — _but this is not my time this not my home_ — is the sun rising over the city. She can hear the man snoring, sitting just behind her against the door. Maybe they are mirroring each other's positions.

It's pink, the bedroom. With tasteful decoration and colors, modern to a fault with what looks like custom-made furnishing. There's a flat screen on the wall facing an enormous bed and a small sitting area, a sleek computer on a desk facing the panoramic view the windows give. There are fluffy carpets over marble flooring that is heated. There are photos lining up every wall around her. On some shelves to the side, dozens of different cameras sit. She can recognize a few from _her_ time, others are clearly toys and other so big and so sleek and _modern_.

Kagome doesn't look at the photos. She's scared of whatever they display.

The rain stops at some point, and her head is throbbing painfully. The medicine bag is on the large, big enough to fit a family in, bed. After hours sitting against the door, moving from her position feels like tearing her muscles apart. She crawls to the bed, getting the pain pills from a bottle, swallowing two dry.

Some tears escape her eyes, but by now she doesn't —isn't capable— of feeling much. The ceiling is high above her, white and unreachable. She remains there, head thrown back and resting on the soft bedding, legs spread in front of her sheltered by the shadows. There's AC vents on the ceiling, in-built lights and star stickers that glow softly in the dark. She closes her eyes, falling into a short sleep.

•••

She wakes up with knocking on her bedroom door. The glare of the sun reflects on a mirror directly into her eyes and Kagome flinches.

One of her hands covers her eyes as she hisses in pain, falling to her side on the carpet. She curls into a ball, one hand covering her face and the other gripping the base of her messy ponytail. It's almost as if its fair color burns her palm because as soon she touches the soft strands there's an awareness of its change.

Behind the door, her mama's soft calling brings her from haunting daydreams. "Kagome, please, I don't know what is happening but _please_ , take your medicine, ok?" A pause, where Kagome can almost see the pain in her soft features. "Please, sweetie. _Please_."

Should she answer? Tell her to go away? Would it matter, in this terrible lie she is stuck in? This woman is not her mother in truth, just the same as that man isn't her father and that boy and this house, the school she was in…

None of this is real, none of this is hers…Why should she even bother? In the end, she would end up in the same void, fighting the same demons, straining her ears for InuYasha's call. The blinding glow of the Jewel as the only light and company, illuminating her features as she floats in infinite darkness, beckoning her into its own dimension. An eternity of war would be better than this, Kagome thinks, bitter and angry with the falsehood it persisted to show her.

 _I get it now. You want me!_ A sigh, calm, unlike the storm that brews inside of her. Reality seems to tremble as she opens her eyes to look around the empty room, giving hope that somehow it is going to dissipate. It doesn't happen. Instead, another vision interferes with her senses. A man dressed in green sits alone, there's a scepter in his hands. His gaze is lost, glowing blue and green, mixing. There's a terror in his eyes, and they are fixed ahead, staring into the distance. Kagome looks back, she sees a sea of people in a dark room. It's foggy, she can barely distinguish what is happening around her.

But there's a glint of blue, a tendril of energy that leads her to a huge machine hooked up to…something. Kagome reaches out, but a flash of green snags her away from there to somewhere else.

She sees a man standing before her, old and grey. He stands proudly, challenging while the crowd around him kneels. He won't bend, he won't bow. Something charges at him, power, something hers yet not, and Kagome is sure he will perish. As the charging bolt reaches him, a star interferes and—

Green light moves her forward, and she sees too much, too fast.

She sees conflict, feels herself infiltrating minds, connecting and riling the tension between them to a peak. Suddenly, her mind connects to another point, another energy peak, where blue eyes watch with empty fascination and shackled duty.

The vision disappears with a snap that leaves her breathless. She hadn't even noticed herself falling forward on the floor, the fluffy carpet tickling her face. Kagome blinks away nausea, fists her hands on the soft texture and coughs. She's laid on the floor, face into the rug, arms thrown ahead of her and legs bent weirdly. It's like she's crawling towards something. Moving her face, she directs her eyes ahead and meets her reflection on the mirror on the other side of the room. She must not have noticed it the previous night. Now, with the sun high in the sky and the sky half clear of clouds, sunlight illuminates every feature of the room she could've missed in the dark of the night or the dimness of the sunrise.

The girl who looks up in the mirror is pale. Her features are strange, eyes big and clear, even with the clear Japanese influence. She has freckles too, brown dots, big and small, splattered across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Her face is strange, refined and foreign.

The fair strands she remembers purposely ignoring yesterday are a mess. It's a head full of hair that is gold-spun, not quite the silver of InuYasha or Sesshoumaru because there's a hint of yellow that makes it human. It's as wavy and as full as her own _real_ hair, finer, but there's her fringe covering her forehead and the slight wave at its tips.

It's her eyes that surprise her.

They're blue, but not dark. There's no earthly brown that promises security and reality and her sense of self. They're bright and big, a full spectrum of cold colors in them that Kagome had only ever seen on foreign actors' ads or movies. It's not hers. This girl, crawling on the expensive carpet, is not her.

She looks like a _hafu._ A half-Japanese girl that idol companies would love to have. She's not Kagome, not really, from the tips of her blonde eyelashes to the modern apartment this family of hers seem to live in, she's not _Kagome_.

Earth keeps moving, the sun keeps shining, people move on and she's not Kagome Higurashi.

•••

They try to make her leave the room.

The woman screams at her in anger, frustration. She cries in pain and worry. The man pleads for her to open the door. The boys ask her what's wrong and why she is doing this.

There's something crawling beneath her skin that tastes dangerous. It's beyond what she felt for Kikyou, that ugly jealously that had threatened to eat her whole. Her energy, her powers, they rise with each breath she takes until it's simmering in a thin layer over her skin. She glows pink with purity, and the stranger in the mirror looks ethereal and dangerous.

The rug beneath her has long disappeared, burned away by the energy she emits. It's something new; she had never burnt something other than youkai with the pure intensity of her powers. Kagome is not sure if she had ever reached its limits before. Hunger eats at her, thirst claws at her throat, her head feels like it's being splitting over. There's a hammer in her mind, swung down to nail at the crown of her head every minute that passes. Like it's trying to fixate her into the ground, into this falsehood of a life.

She's stubborn though, she won't let it sink her into this.

Her power burns in her skin and maybe scorches the white marble floor beneath her bum. There comes a moment at twilight, when her reflection is half hidden in orange light and shadows, where she pours all that power into her hands. They glow hot white, something fierce and destructive with an intensity that could…That could maybe make it all disappear. Kagome lays one hand on her heart, feels its beat and the rise and fall of her chest. Another palm presses firmly on the mirror, covering half of the stranger's face.

She wills her power out and inwards, she wills it to cleanse her and the world around. _Disappear._ This is not her world and she does not belong. She knows of its deceit. The white-hot spreads over the mirror in pink glowing cracks, just as it also seeps into her veins. The energy flows through her, white going pink as it spreads from her heart to the tip of her toenails. The pattern of her veins and arteries glows brightly under her skin, in synch with the energy that spreads like cracks over the mirror.

Just as her spiritual energy flows down to the ground, it explodes. She's sent back, falling to the floor on her back.

The ceiling is high above her and the last beams of sunlight go out as her eyes close.

•••

There's a cube. It's blue and glowing brightly. Her hands itch to touch it, to have it close. One of the blue eyes stands with it, reverent of the thing as he inserts it into a big machine. It slots into place and floats, spinning around lazily while cackling with energy.

Kagome steps closer, entranced by it. There's a calling in the space between them, a connection that runs deep. It speaks to her in a language that needs no words, no sounds, no gestures. It _knows_ her. It is part of her.

"Who are you?" The blue eyes ask her. He sounds distant, foggy like they are separated by a barrier. She looks at him, seeing an old man with blue eyes. He is shackled by a familiar power. Something in him tastes the same as when she first woke up. Like there's static in his mind, keeping him away, disconnected from reality. "Are you the Tesseract?" He smiles dementedly. His mind is not his at this moment.

She does not understand, "Tesseract?" but before any questions can be answered, the world fogs up around them. He can't see her, she realizes, as he looks around with those detached, delusional eyes, and turns back to the machine. Green light twists her vision, fogging up her sense of time and suddenly she is standing in front of the man in green. He has a scepter in his hands, a compartment in it glows blue as he thrusts it through her chest.

Kagome feels no pain, and she isn't sure if he can see her. His eyes are a mix of blue and green, and she feels his connection to the scepter. It's like poison. Kagome recognizes it for the parasite it is. The blue eyes are connected to this scepter, manipulated and shackled to its power and current holder.

She feels as he fails to use it, but she is sucked into another moment and suddenly—

There's a portal over her.

She's on the top of a building, overlooking a strange city from a balcony. Kagome can feel the beam of energy behind her like it's a part of her. She sees it in her mind's eyes, every little bit of power shooting up and tearing space apart, opening a door to the unknown and letting it rain down on Earth.

There's chaos around her. From the hole in the sky, demons fall. Soulless beings come down from the skies above, their screams echo throughout the city and bodies filled with foreign energy. Giant worms of metal fly down over and _through_ them — _humanity, us, life_ —, destroying buildings and bringing death and destruction. She stands on the balcony, watching over it all before directing her gaze to the scepter at her feet.

The power source glints prettily, hauntingly. In her eyes, its color changes from the sickening blue to a bright yellow. Her mind settles, grounds itself to her body as she kneels down, fingers brushing over it.

She looks up, looking right at the old man staring down from the ceiling floor. The beam shoots up in the sky behind him, and he shouldn't be able to see her, but there's still poison in his old mind. He's not himself yet, and Kagome isn't sure if he will ever be.

A flash of green and then—

A red-haired woman holds the scepter, ready to pierce the energy barrier surrounding the cube. _They want to close the portal,_ it comes to her. She feels nothing but thrill as they come close together. Her hands reach, wanting, longing — _they are mine and i am theirs —_ for their joining. They are familiar, but her mind can't quite grasp why. It's all foggy in here.

 _Sacrifice_ , they sing to her. And Kagome looks up and up and up, watching as they all do. Her eyes see what they — _humanity, them, life_ — cannot. The tendrils of energy that binds them all, the glint of one brave soul that shoots up into the pit of the heavens, open wide above them, spilling its secrets of war onto a society that isn't mature enough.

Kagome sees the dead looking on in horror and confusion, sees the one soul fall down to them. There are tendrils of power that comes from that hole in the sky, and when they are cut short, all those soulless beings fall down. Kagome feels each and every one of them go down hard, empty of energy. The soul falls, and the woman closes the gate.

Kagome awakes.

•••

Sunlight wakes her up again. It pours down on her like warm water, reflected by the mirror over her face. She's thrown on the floor against the bed, back aching but head blessedly calm. The hammer does not fall on her head again, the ticking clock has stopped.

The mirror remains intact in front of her.

Kagome blinks, stupefied by its state. It's whole, not one crack or burst. Not one bit out of its place. _Spiritual energy doesn't affect objects,_ it's her tentative answer. The mirror has no need of being purified, so why should it be destroyed?

But if it's whole, then it's real. If it's real, then where is she?

Silence echoes. It reverberates in every corner of the room, going back at her like a blow. It suffocates and overwhelms. She tries to reach for something, anything, but she is alone and desperate. There's a promise in the silence of the early morning. If it's good or bad, she doesn't know.

Kagome sits up, gaze down and defeated. Her shoulders feel heavy, there's a scream stuck in the back of her throat. Like a tight ball of air and blood and rage that demands to be spat out of her. Her energy boils, her mind widens. She gets back on her feet, knees jerking down and hands shaking before she gets a hold of herself. She steps towards the windows, eyes glued to the city horizon.

So high up, she feels like she's actually floating above the city. It's a strangely fantastical feeling, having so little that stops her from falling down. Could she break this glass and fall down into reality? With death, would the jewel finally release her from this nightmare?

The screen of what she thinks is the computer — _it's too sleek, there's only the thin screen, keyboard, and mouse. where's the bulkiness? when is this?_ _ **what is this?**_ — lights up. Kagome approaches it warily, sitting on the leather office chair and leaning towards the lit screen. There's a notification of a new e-mail on it. She clicks on the 'Gome-Gome' icon with a small round photo of this body's family making silly faces.

It opens up to a desktop with a photo of her and not-Souta. He has the same feature as hers, freckles and light skin. But with dark brown hair and eyes more narrow than hers. He's more familiar. They are standing in some place, some forest. The mountains? They are bundled up completely, obviously cold, but grinning wildly.

It brings another kind of nervous lump in her throat. Kagome had never gone out of Japan, but this picture…it looks awfully like a vacation to somewhere cold and full of wildlife. Wildlife that Kagome can tell isn't from her home. She decides to ignore the photo, clicking on the icon with a mail stamp and the white on red notification signaling '6'.

The top e-mail is from Eri. _She exists here too._ Kagome clicks on it with trepidation and is somewhat relieved to see only homework attached to it with a 'get well soon' message. She closes it, struggling for a bit to send a quick 'thank you' back. She sees the dates on the previous messages. The dates go 'today', 'yesterday' and…

 _03/02/2012._

The date taunts her. It says 'look, this is all for you'. It's the Jewel saying _look around you, isn't the good? Wish for it. A father, a luxurious life, a modern life. You look too far in the past, you must move forward._

 _(_ _"Make your wish.")_

A moment passes where she's frozen, numb, but she gets another message. It's from Eri again, and the subject is only '!'. It snaps her out of the rising panic, and she uses the moment to distract herself.

There's a photo from what looks like some kind of website. It shows a warning, 'no classes or club activities today due to the newest discoveries and possible following attacks'. On the top right corner, Kagome sees that it's Saturday, early in the morning.

Eri also sent a link. Kagome can tell because it's blue, and when she hovers over it the little arrow changes, unlike previous words. She blinks, clinking on it. It opens something that takes less than a second to load. _YouTube._ It's a video of a Japanese news channel.

 _"It has been confirmed by the United States of America that the attack on New York City was, indeed, done by extraterrestrial beings—"_ Kagome's breath hitches. Her guts feel heavy, about to spill out as the image changes to a city she remembers well from her dreams. The beam shots up in the sky, the army soon following it to rain war upon their world. The voice of the news' reporter drones out and Kagome stares at the various footages displayed. The heroes, the Avengers, the aliens, the _gods_ …

It all feels like a terrible joke.

"Disappear," she wishes again.

The world keeps turning, the sun keeps shining, birds sing and there's a knock on the bedroom door.

Kagome realizes she might not be in the Jewel's illusion.

•••

Lao Tzu, a philosopher from Ancient China that her grandpa had loved to rave about, once said to not resist the natural changes brought by life. _Let reality be reality, flow with it, Kagome_ , it's what her gramps said. _To deny it would only bring sorrow._ Then, Kagome struggled with change, with the abrupt shift in her beliefs brought by the Jewel and the well and InuYasha. It soon became real for her, material and simple despite its improbability.

She cherished the life she had been given, and now, it had been taken from her. What would gramps say to this, she wonders? Would he tell her to investigate, to fight for what she lost, or just flow with what she was given? It's a change so essential and complete, Kagome wonders if it'd be best described as a complete replacement of her world and self.

Is this body hers? Did she snatch it from another young girl somewhere in the world, in time? Did Kagome Higurashi exist a few decades prior to this point, or centuries past? Or not at all? Is the Jewel dormant, waiting inside of this body? Did the Jewel exist? What brought her here to this point? Why? Why here, what is important about this body, this moment, this reality, that Kagome ended up _here_?

What triggered this?

 _("Make your wish.")_

Kagome remembers InuYasha's call in the void, telling her to wait for him.

Did she wait for him? If he found her, what then? If not, what did the Jewel do to her? Did it succeed in seducing her to continue its existence? Did she wish for something? For its destruction? For InuYasha? For her peace?

 _What happened?_

Kagome spends a long time by the computer, ignoring hunger and thirst and pain that persisted for the three days she woke up here. She seeks history first, types Shikon jewel and finds nothing. She searches for the legends she remembers listening to for her whole life and she finds nothing. There is no Midoriko legend, no Jewel legend.

In history, there's no trace of the legends she knows so well.

From the year she had left to the moment she is now, there are more development and information than centuries of the past she remembers. Knowledge is at the tip of her fingers, a few keys and clicks away. Somehow, she is connected to the superheroes, the ones called Avengers. It's easy enough to find out they are a mix of geniuses, humans and supernatural beings that tell her that, even here, the world is not so plain as she once believed.

After another interview where she watches as angry politicians demand payment for the repercussions of the destruction brought by the Avengers, Kagome moves away from the computer. She's numb. It's not even past noon, and already she knows _this_ …this is beyond anything she has ever experienced. Going five hundred years in the past is nothing compared to the feeling of dislocation she feels now. She's not in her own skin, with her own family. She needs to bear a world that is unfamiliar and empty of anything she had ever known, disconnected from anything that is truly hers.

Even then, she could find comfort with the Sacred tree, the foundations of the well and what would one day become her home. Here, from what she has seen, there's no comfort other than wishful thinking. Just looking around her brings loneliness and a sense of terrible, deep, loss.

The photos on the walls tell a story of a life well lived. Baby photos are displayed proudly, of hers and Souta. There are moments frozen from summer to winter and back again, with friends, family, strangers and distant lands. There are photos from monuments she knows — _Paris, New York, Hong Kong, and many others_ — and in almost all of them, there she stands. This stranger with her name. She looks like her and yet not, different and the same.

But she's not _her_.

 _Did I die?_ The thought comes silently, creeping up on her without notice. It's detached, no dread or fear comes with it. It leaves her blank, void. Could she be just another reincarnation, just another that shares the soul, and now the name?

 _I am Kagome Higurashi_ , she repeats to herself. Maybe if she says it enough times, she'd believe it just as she once did.

There's another knock on the door, Souta's — _he's not him he's not him_ — tiny voice calling for her. She doesn't answer, and he goes away.

•••

It's nighttime again, and there's light coming from beneath the door. She sits on the floor, in the dark, watching as a shadow moves back and forth in front of it. It finally stops on the other side, a knock following it.

Another vision interrupts reality, mingling with the darkness of the room. The two gods, Thor and Loki, stand beside each other. Kagome is between them, closest to the cube from her dreams. A beam shots up from the sky, and she travels with them for a few moments before the connection drops and the vision fades.

Somehow, she thinks she's a bit more empty than before.

Reality stands on its own again, and Kagome focuses on it, ignoring the itch in her head.

"There's dinner, Kagome," It's Mama's voice. She sounds tired. "It's been _days_ ," The way she says it sounds desperate like she can barely believe it. "You must eat, Kagome, and drink something." There's a moment where she stops, waiting for her to say anything. Usually, that'd be her cue to leave, this time, there's a warning. "If you don't leave tonight…I'm calling the hospital, someone, _anyone,_ " Kagome doesn't react, watching quietly. "The world has turned onto its head, but I won't let you waste away on your own."

Then, she leaves.

 _You're not my mother._

•••

She leaves the room late in the night.

Her vision mixes with reality. She can see the scepter, can hear voices. She can barely listen to what they have to say while stumbling out in the hallway. There's also the glow of the big TV on the living room, the form of the man laying on the sofa and the quiet sound of rain outside. Both reality and vision mingle, messing with her senses and mind. She can barely process what she is seeing on the big screen, deciding to ignore it as its light makes her eyes sting. She goes to the dinner table instead, where a plate is left with a pot.

She sits, listening to the buzz from the TV, the snoring man, and the voices in her head. The pot has cold soba and she eats everything, cleaning the pot clean. Finishing it, she gets the pot to the kitchen, freezing when the light turns on automatically. It's a clean, huge space with high-tech appliances. It's nothing like the cozy, traditional dwelling from her memories.

Kagome walks into the big kitchen and starts cleaning the pot and plate. From the window that gives way to the dining table and living room, she can see the TV. The man wakes up, getting up on his feet and stretching. He turns and catches her eyes, a relieved smile quickly falling when her immediate response is to look down at the dishes.

The TV goes out and Kagome tries to focus harder on the voices and the last bit of dirty dishes. It's futile, five seconds later the man is leaning against the kitchen's archway. She closes the tab, put the dish to dry and turns to face him. The faint image of two men occupy the space between them, they linger in front of her, walking around her. It's a juxtaposition that hurts, distracts her enough that she doesn't listen when the man talks to her.

"—gome?" Blinking, she realizes her focus had wandered. Her eyes move to the man's striking blue eyes, so similar to her new ones. He has a frown on his forehead, arms crossed in front of him and his body relaxed in a way she knows isn't quite honest with how he truly feels. There are threads around him, like the strings of destiny, but blue. It's some sort of energy, something that is familiar but Kagome can't quite place. "What happened?"

For a moment, she stands there in silence. She has no idea how to answer him, doesn't understand how he could possibly help her. Why should she care for his worries? Why should she answer his questions? This man means nothing to her, is nothing to her…But is he truly? Kagome is lying to herself, is clearly trying to emulate InuYasha's own brash dismissive attitude. She's not blind to this man's affection and love for this body and it makes her completely useless because she would never attack someone who so genuinely only wanted to help.

This body is this man's daughter's, and he is clearly a caring and devoted father. It's in the pictures, in the home they shared and the way he simply cared so much. She's the intruder here, she's the one that doesn't belong, ruining this man's life and family because she simply can't put herself to pretend to be someone she isn't.

She wishes she could be like InuYasha, to snap at these people and blame them for what is happening to her. To growl and fight and hold a grudge close to her heart, but already she's deflating, tears in her eyes as she shakes her head at this stranger. The man's arms fall, his worried frown intensifying as he extends one hand towards her.

Her flinch might as well have been a sword to his gut, from the way his whole being _drops_. He licks his lips, lost and desperate to help — _i'm not her i'm not her i'm not_ _ **her**_ — or at least understand.

"I dreamt it," escapes from her mouth before she can hold herself. He doesn't speak, doesn't move, might as well not breathe with the way he gives her all of his attention. "The attack on New York, the aliens, I've been seeing it since that man, that _god—_ " It's not quite the truth, but it's something. It's not only the attack, but it's also the fact that this _isn't_ real, and somehow she's here in another body with strangers who share familiar faces surrounding her and it all leads to these gods and heroes of the future. "Something," no words leave her for a minute and she shrugs her arms, eyes scrunching close as she digs her fingers into her hair. "Something is _changed_ , I don't know— I'm so **lost**!"

"Oh, _min kj_ _æ_ _re_ ," he steps towards her, and Kagome can see he doesn't really believe her. "It's just your dreams acting up again, like when you were little, remember?" She snaps her eyes towards him, head tilting slightly and gaping at him. "You'd always been fascinated by the tales of our ancestors and spent hours obsessing over it, and dreaming every night about them."

"Ancestors?" Hope blooms, for an answer, for a way that could lead her home.

"One of your favorite stories has always been about our legends, Kagome," her confusion must be apparent because he launches an explanation that leaves her head spinning. "Mine, _our_ family's most valuable legacy has always been to be the keepers of the legend of Odin's most valuable treasures," his hand rests heavily on her shoulder. Like a burden. "Viking warriors, the first to ever settle on my homeland, answering to Odin's call to protect his prize, which he gifted us with as a boom to show the path back to Valhalla." He slouches down, lifting her chin so their eyes meet. "That gift would one day lead us into glory and eternal life," he caressed her, the pad of his finger smoothing over the dark circle under her eye. "You always dreamt you'd be the one to go back and find the treasure, my love. Don't you remember?" He smiles, reassuring when she shakes her head in a trance. "With Thor being real, I'm sure it left you a bit..unsettled."

He pats her head, kind smile incapable of hiding the worry in his eyes.

"We'll head to a doctor tomorrow, ok? Everything is gonna be alright. Papa is going to help you."

•••

She goes back to her room, sits on the chair in front of the computer and types Higurashi shrine.

Kagome cries for a good hour when a result pops up with directions to it on the Shizuoka prefecture, too far away from where it belongs, but still there.

•••

Kagome doesn't wait for them to wake up.

She takes her school bag, gets clothes, food and as much money as she can find — which turns out to be much more than she has ever hoped to find in her possession — and stuffs it all in. She grabs pants, a simple shirt, tennis, and a hoodie, throw them on and ties her fair hair back. The apartment is silent and cold when she closes the door behind her.

Kagome takes the elevator at 4 AM. The doorman is distracted, she walks past him with her hood up and her mouth shut. A bus is just arriving at the third stop she encounters and she takes it until its terminal. By then, the sun is high on the sky and she's far away from them. She passes by a small beauty shop on the train station, and there are wigs and hair dies advertised on its window.

When she enters her train to Higurashi shrine, her exotic blonde hair is black.

•••

 **A/N:** Happy New Year, Teriana! It is I, your Secret Santa, hohoho!

This short series is not the one-shot it should be because I'm way too extra and things spiraled _way too_ out of control. x-x It's 11 chapters long. Written in its entirety, I have three chapters while everything else is planned or have scenes ready to be added! The updates will be in two weeks time, every Friday? I dunno how to describe it in English. Every two weeks on Friday? I think that's it.

I'm not sure if you will enjoy this, tbh. I'm literally being very risky with this story and gifting it to you. But I'm making this for me too! It's been quite fun. Hope you appreciate it, and if not, I'm so sorry for blowing this out of proportion. T_T (Not really tho because this is really very fun to write.)

Your wish list gave me a heart attack because I literally wasn't into any of these fandoms anymore lol. Yet, as I brainstormed, I settled with the Marvel ones because it gave me plenty of characters I am actually pretty interested to play with. It spiraled a bit out of control, as I said.

This was your original prompt: [Marvel Comics: Eddie Brock/Venom, Peter Parker/Spiderman, Miles Morales/Spiderman, T'Challa/Black Panther, Dr. Stephen Strange, Thanos (possibly dark), Wade Wilson (Deadpool)]. But I simplified it to characters connected by the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which ended up leaving these possible options for pairings: [Marvel Comics: [Peter Parker/Spiderman, T'Challa/Black Panther, Dr. Stephen Strange, Thanos (possibly dark)].

Now, you need to guess which one will be the true pairing. lolololol

This is a GENORMUS project. The plot took three-two days to create, and I make adaptations to this day. I want to thank MCU's wikia page for its detailed descriptions and timeline, to YouTube for giving me edits and music, to Garos Studios, and Netflix. May your deal with Disney and Marvel survive into eternity.

~Mari


	2. Home

"Hey, you, we're closed for the day."

The man isn't anyone she is familiar with; not from recent memories. His voice is grainy, tired, and his shrine clothes are rumpled. The knot on his _hakama_ is badly done, his _kimono_ too big for his body. When she looks at him, Kagome feels robbed of another life, of love and affection.

Her father had always been a vague memory, clouded with misery and what-ifs. Kagome lost him to a car incident along with her grandma and her first home. He's a ghost, a photograph next to his own mother's resting on their little shrine at home. Her memories of him are filled with incense and prayers, offerings and good wishes. He's dead to her, a comforting presence that never really existed outside of her Mama's memories.

Yet, here he stands. Kagome faces her father with barely restrained pain, lips trembling with cold and holding back a sob. The man blinks, takes a step back when faced with her. Soft rain falls over them, soaking through clothes and wetting hair that should've shared the same color as hers.

Kagome is freezing. Two days camping in this city, heading out and searching for this place until she found it and spent the entire day by the sacred tree, have tired her out. There's no stream to take a quick bath in, no game to hunt. She has no weapons, not much beyond the things in her bag. She could survive more easily in the forest, should probably leave the city by now. It's difficult to cut her ties to this place though, especially with this man living, breathing, _existing_.

He looks her up and down, a grimace on his features. "You've been loitering around here for a few hours now," would he kick her out now? Maybe that's what she'd need. "You should just go to your hotel or house or wherever you live, girl," Maybe coming back will set her on the right path. Would that strange man's tales set her on the path to find answers or to doctor appointments and worried whispers behind her back?

"Can I see the Bone-Eater's Well?" It's what she says instead. His face twitches into a deadpan, arms crossing as he stares her down.

"I just told you," he narrows his eyes, annoyance creeping through. "We're closed."

"Show me just once," she offers, desperate to try. "You'll never see me around again." He cringes, and Kagome remembers how empty the place is. She spent the entire day here, and she had been the only visitor.

"Oi, kid, don't be so dramatic, please." He gulps, looking around before slouching in defeat. "You're the only one who visited this trashy shrine this week, anyway." Her papa turns, gesturing for her to follow. Kagome does, teeth clattering. "Be quick though, I ain't got time to stand in that old shed."

His back is familiar, it's all that she can think about. Where had she seen it before? The thought is soon forgotten when he opens the old door leading to the well.

"Here it is, our great dry hol— _hey_!" She passes him without hesitating, running to the well. One hand grips the edge just as she always did, hoisting her body in the air with the same agility she became used to. Kagome falls, and she reaches the ground with a grunt.

Her feet ache, but she ignores the familiar throb to look up. There's no sky above her, no setting sun or pure air. There's no loud cicadas or the song of the trees dancing to the wind. Kagome is glued to the present, to this reality she had been sent to. All she sees above her is the frantic face of the man she'd call father in another life, a better life.

"OI! Kid! Are you alright? Fuck! Did you get hurt? Hold on, I'm gonna get the ladder!" He disappears from her view.

Kagome allows herself to fall on her knees, face turned up towards the heavens as her wide eyes looked on without seeing. The stale air ate at her, devours what is left of her. She trembles, fear and loss finally, _finally_ , sinking in.

 _There's no going back_.

•••

 _Miroku_ , she thinks later, sitting under his _kotatsu_ , wearing borrowed warm clothes. _He reminds me of Miroku_. His attitude is very much like Sango's, but that's just wishful thinking from her part. She appreciates it anyway since it keeps her warm in more ways than just a blanket can.

"—Higurashi, what's yours?" Kagome blinks at the steaming teacup put in front go her. She looks up at him, with his dark hair and sharp dark eyes. It takes a lot more strength than she'd expected to give this man her name. Maybe it's because it's incomplete — a lie by omission. She's Kagome Higurashi, but he would never believe her truth.

"…Kagome," she whispers, looking into his eyes and seeing only mild curiosity. This man does not know her name or her face. _You are not my father._ "My name is Kagome."

"Kagome, eh?" He lifts one eyebrow, falling to his seat beside her without care. "That's the name of that _hafu_ girl who runaway this Sunday," he points at her, a clear judgment in his eyes. "Her family is all over the media, asking for her to come back." Kagome's lips press into a hard line, a frown cracking her blank face.

"That's not me," is all she says. It's the same voice she'd used with all those others who'd confounded her with Kikyou. It leaves no room for doubts. They trade hard looks in a second dragged too long where Kagome refuses to give up. She's made her choice, and she refuses to be poked by doctors, to put up a mask of someone she isn't for the sake of this reality.

He is the one to look away first, scoffing with a smirk and a shake of his head. "She's blonde anyway."

Her eyelashes still are glaringly fair, as well as her eyebrows, but the man looks away and pretends. She is grateful, though confused. The right thing to do would be to give her away. To get the phone and call the authorities. Kagome chooses to remain silent though, sipping quietly to her tea.

Higurashi slaps his hand on the table, startling her enough to spill some of her warm drink. "What's so special about that tree anyways?!" He leans forward, squinting his eyes and pointing at her again. "You brat spent so long here and you didn't even buy a souvenir!"

"You tell me," she narrows her own eyes at him, putting the drink down. "It's _your_ shrine."

"Tsk," his eyebrow twitches and he turns away from her. "When you visit a shrine, you pay your respects and help us shrine keepers by buying something, you know?" he grumbles, getting her teacup and walking into the kitchen.

Kagome feels bad for a second. The place is obviously struggling. It's on the way its keeper is so tired, on how the grounds are badly taken care of. The roof was falling down to pieces, and Kagome could hear the distant sound of water drops coming from the kitchen. The little shop, she remembers, is pitiful, with barely any new items and many empty shelves.

This Higurashi shrine would be a shame to her grandpa. Kagome wonders why his son let it get to this state.

"Well, whatever, that tree is a Sacred tree, ya know? Very old, very powerful, but just a tree," He comes back but goes into a storage closet by the entrance. "There's a legend, about love and tragedy, yada, yada, yada, but it's just a tree." A futon is thrown at her and Kagome yelps as it hits her face. "This _is_ a shrine though, so I'll help you as my good deed of the year."

"The year?"

"I'm not a good samaritan or some good old wise shrine keeper helping every lost soul that shows up on my yard, kid." He waits for her to lay out the futon before turning out the lights. Moonlight poured from the window between them, like a physical manifestation of the division between their worlds. _You're not my father_ , she thinks, sadly, mournfully, with the stranger's face from the apartment at the forefront of her mind. She doesn't know to whom she thinks this, the stranger with an unfamiliar face who calls himself her papa or the stranger with her father's face and name. "You'll be gone tomorrow, right?"

Kagome doesn't answer, laying down with slight reluctance and facing away from him. Higurashi doesn't leave. She can sense him behind her, feels his glare despite the dark.

"Family is important, Kagome _,"_ the way he says her name gives her chills, makes her think of another time and place, where her name was uttered with utmost devotion and love. Now, it is only a warning with barely restrained contempt. "You shouldn't let them go," it comes out of experience, she just knows. It's in the way disgust rolls out of his tongue, how the pain comes with each word. It's in the way there's only him in this shrine and no pictures of his family. How everything is bare and empty with him at its center.

The contempt is not aimed at her but at himself.

"They're not my family," is all she says. Higurashi is quiet as he turns away.

•••

In the morning, she wakes up to see him standing by the kitchen, staring at his phone screen. She holds her breath, knowing exactly what he is thinking about doing. She'll disappear in a heartbeat, even if it hurts to move away from the only place that is close enough to home. The well is her anchor now, giving her security of staying in the same place — _she is drowning, though, and there's this terrible thought that she needs to let it go_ —, a familiar place.

"Higurashi-san," she whispers, catching his attention. He stares at her with dead eyes that know her fear too well. He shakes his head, a sad little smile on his thin lips before turning away and entering the kitchen.

Kagome wonders what stops him from calling and if hasn't already. She is quick to fix the futon and get her clothes on the clothesline line outside. Higurashi observes her curiously when she passes through the kitchen, coming back with her bundle of clothes. She kneels next to her backpack, taking out a dress, leggings, and underwear and storing the newly dried ones.

When she gets out of the bathroom, borrowed clothes a neat pile in her arms, Higurashi is sitting by the _kotatsu_ , arms folded and eyes closed. Breakfast is already put on the table, simple rice, _natto_ , and eggs.

Kagome sits and gets to eat as quickly as she can. Higurashi watches her with a narrowed gaze. Eventually, she has enough of his staring and slams her rice empty dish on the table. He doesn't even flinch.

"What is it?" She doesn't want to waste time anymore. She doesn't want to go, but if she stays too long…

"You're leaving," it's what he says, deadpan and leaning into her space. Kagome leans back, looking away from his prodding gaze.

"I've got my answers, and I don't want to intrude," _and you will call the cops on me_ , is left unsaid.

"Yeah, you jumped into an old well," he scoffs at her. Higurashi doesn't believe in the supernatural? No, not even her grandpa would've considered the well to be magical. He just doesn't understand. "And stared at a tree. Big answers there, girly." He moves away from her, leaning back on his arms. He tilts his chin up, facing away while keeping his eyes on her.

It makes her itch, so she looks down, into her empty bowl.

"You know what? I don't even care." He gets up slowly, hands on his hips and a pained face. "I have _omamori_ to make and leaves to sweep, get your teenage drama and leave for all that I care." He doesn't really mean it, Kagome knows. This man is kind, and Kagome thinks the moment she leaves he will either search for her or call the authorities, but bitterness and sorrow falls over him like a blanket. He suffers from problems much more real than hers, much more grounded. Kagome asks herself what happened to him that led to this.

"Do you need help?" The offer is done with no real thought behind, impulsive and reckless. But maybe she can still find answers, maybe she can try again at the end of the day. Higurashi looks back at her, one eyebrow raised. "You don't need to pay me."

He sighs, rolling his eyes so hard they might as well fall off. "Lemme guess, you want shelter and food?" She offers a smile that was intended to be cheeky but comes out shaky and uncertain. It's been far too long since she last smiled. Higurashi sighs deeply, staring hard at her for a moment before nodding. "Come on, my calligraphy is shit anyways. Let's see if you can do better."

•••

"This won't sell, girly."

They end up at the office, which is empty of any Shikon Jewel paraphernalia. It's as soothing as it's a slap to her face. Kagome is writing protection charms, authentic ones that she plans to infuse with her own energy later. It's what makes his words hurtful. Even though she is no Kaede or Miroku, her talismans should do enough to fulfill their promised words.

"Why not?" She frowns at the paper, seeing nothing wrong with it.

"'Cause people want money and love, not a pure life free of sins and temptation," His words are mocking as he snatches her small pile of charms and throws it in the trashcan. "They want love stories and their names on billboards, and then they put their trust in a small piece of paper so they won't have to work for it."

"That's not exactly how _omamori_ works, truly," she says, bending down and fishing out the papers. She pats it lightly, putting it beside her.

"Eh?" He grins, looking just like perv Miroku talking about his machinations. "I'll have you know that Higurashi shrine sells the best love _omamori_ , and the only ones that can snatch you anyone else's man!" And he strikes a pose, holding his chin with one hand and chest puffed out like it's something to be proud of. Kagome stares at him in disgust, wondering how could this man be her — _but he isn't_ — father.

"That's _definitely_ not how _omamori_ should work."

"Well, it's what sells," he shrugs, getting some paper for himself and a brush. "Most shrines don't usually do these specific—"

"Disgusting."

"— _specific_ charms." He stares pointedly at her, and she stares right back. _Omamori_ should protect oneself and attract luck, not steal from others. "After I took over the shrine, business dimmed down too much for me to keep up the usual orders," he purses his lips and Kagome feels like looking away like she's listening to something far too intimate and not for her ears. "These days, it's hard to buy even those little bags," he glares at her as if she offended him somehow. "So I make do with my imagination."

"By making evil charms," she says, putting one final detail before setting the one she finished aside for the ink to dry.

"They are not evil!"

•••

She's sweeping the grounds when a lonely group of high schoolers passes through the worn _Torii_ gate. Kagome looks down when they walk past her, facing away from them and focusing on the leaves spread on the ground around the Sacred Tree.

When they leave, each carrying a little bag while giggling, Higurashi leaves the Office to stand beside her.

"They bought those so they could date some rich idol or whatever. He married recently so, here they were," he says, not looking at her. She can picture his face, so similar to the Miroku she remembers, looking out at them with the setting sun illuminating their features and casting their shadows behind. "People want things that belong to others, they're just afraid to admit to themselves."

"They clearly weren't."

"Kids, people, are often like this."

"I am not," Kagome says, something burning in her gut as the girls disappear down the stairs. They look about her age. "I could never do that to someone I love, even if…even if they love somebody else."

He doesn't say anything when she turns away and heads inside, but she can feel his eyes on her back.

•••

Kagome wakes up before the sun goes out. She waits to see the sunrise and then heads to the well house. She stares down into the dark depths for a long time before jumping down.

Higurashi finds her a few hours later, frantic.

•••

He doesn't ask, but Kagome can feel his questions, can feel his rising worry. When they head back to the house at the end of the day, Kagome sees that the well house's door is now bolted.

She moves her gaze forward, at Higurashi's back, and she can't keep the first genuine smile from appearing on her lips.

It's exactly what grandpa would do.

•••

"If you want to stay, you better don't go jumping every hole you see," he says grumpily over lunch, slurping loudly on his instant _ramen_ and not looking her way.

"Hm," is her only answer. She decides to put down her own bowl so she can watch him for a moment. He is fidgeting, keeping his face tilted away from her. There's relentless energy in him, nervous and unsure about how to proceed.

"An' I mean it," He uses his chopsticks to point at her, thrusting them so close to her face she's sure her eyes are crossed. "No hole jumping in this house, are we clear? Let's go further by totally killi—eh, _ceasing_ jumping from any places, ok?"

There's definitely a double meaning to his words, but Kagome decides to simply not bother.

The well won't open. It shouldn't, really. If the Jewel doesn't exist here, why would it?

 _But then_ , Kagome thinks, watching he turn to the small telly. _Why am I here?_

•••

The next morning, Friday, is the one week anniversary of the New York invasion. It's been one week and three days since Kagome woke up in this reality. On the Twelfth day of May, Kagome confesses something to Higurashi while they watch the horrific replay of the New York Invasion documentary.

The first of many.

"I was there," she says, and he looks at her with a confused frown. "I saw them."

"You were here literally the next day," he says, disdain dripping from his words. Kagome purses her lips, her gaze fixed on the telly.

"Three days after, actually, and they weren't alive," she says instead. He scoffs at her, turning and grabbing another chip from the _kotatsu_.

"Yeah, just like your problems got solved by a well and how pieces of paper grant wishes."

She doesn't reply, knowing that'd he scoff at anything supernatural-related she says. He won't believe her like grandpa and mama and Souta did. What does he know of the legends? What does he know of his own shrine? It's like he never really lived here like he doesn't know why someone would ever have faith. He questions it and the supernatural, and yet he's the shrine keeper. He's so essentially different from his own father, from what Kagome knows his father to be like.

"They really weren't. They…they were connected. Controlled." He just sighs, nodding. "When Stark went through the portal," the image plays on the telly. Iron Man bravely directs a missile into the portal, barely passing through before the portal — _the redhead woman and the old man with a fractured mind were there, they closed it_ — closes. The creatures drop like flies, like marionettes with their strings cut. "He destroyed their…their power source. Whatever kept them moving, it was destroyed. Someone else sent them here, someone who controlled their energy source." It's strange, how the realization comes so easily. The god, Loki, he had been controlled too. Not completely, not fully, but undoubtedly directed here. Just a pawn.

Whoever sent him here, they were connected to the cube and the scepter.

And, somehow, she is connected to them.

 _What could they want with this planet?_ Kagome gets up, plucking the chip bag from the _kotatsu_ and ignoring the man's "Oi!". She goes out into the night, looking up at the sky for a brief moment before heading to the Sacred Tree. The well's house is ignored as she passes by it, bringing her coat closer to her body as the breeze touches her gently with chilling fingers.

They sing to her, the stars above and the earth beneath her feet. Kagome stands in front of the tree that started it all, her eyes are glued to the same spot they had for days now. InuYasha's arrow never touched the bark of this lonely god-tree, never cradled his sleeping body within its protection through half a century.

Her presence here makes no sense, makes absolutely no sense. And yet, these artifacts she stumbled across her dreams, they affect her somehow. Her mind still throbs, she still feels awfully out of space. It's like her existence is tilted sideways, not quite right into her own place.

Whoever sent those creatures is connected to them.

Kagome looks away from the tree, looking up at the passing clouds as she breathes out slowly. Her breath manifests as mist, warming the cold air for a brief moment as it rises up to the stars.

Maybe that's exactly where she should go, Kagome muses, biting on a chip.

•••

She's sorting through his new stash of charms, putting each respective one into their respective little bags and storing the ones that were left without one. It's a Saturday, and it's her birthday. Kagome is now a sixteen-year-old teen, she's not into a high school and the Jewel is out of the picture.

It's nothing like she had expected to be like when they completed their journey. There's no romancing with InuYasha, she can't watch the love blooming between Sango and Miroku, she can't watch as Shippo grows. There's no new school for her to go. It's not her life. She had no end or new beginning; just…It's not her own life. This world, this body, the family that so desperately searched for her; it isn't hers.

It's not the life she wished for, not the one she imagined and far beyond the one she dreaded. Still, here, in this fake copy of her home, with this stranger that should be her father, Kagome finds respite from the pain. Sometimes, she can pretend that she's home. Sometimes, she can pretend the little charms she is storing are the Shikon Jewel ones her grandpa was so proud of. Sometimes she can swear the soft hoodie she has tied around her waist is Buyo, snuggling against her hip while she works.

Sometimes, she can pretend.

It's an illusion of security that is broken by the front desk phone chiming.

"Higurashi Shrine, how can I help you?" Kagome smiles softly as Higurashi bursts into the office, hair in disarray and wide eyes fixed on the phone.

"Good afternoon, this is Officer Takamura. I wish to speak with Higurashi-san regarding our visit last week," Breathing ceases. Her chest tightens, like a plastic bottle crumbling into itself as air is taken from it. "It's about the Kagome girl?" Their eyes met as her smile leaves her lips and Kagome knows he knows exactly who is talking on the phone. It's in the guilty in his face.

 _How,_ her eyes questions silently. She tastes vinegar in her mouth, horribly acid-like as she replies with a quick "A moment, please, I'll call my boss," and offers the phone to him. She doesn't dare to look away from him, moving from behind the front desk and heading to the office door as he steps up to the phone.

"Don't leave," Higurashi whispers as she passes by him. He brings the phone to his ear, wide eyes glued to her, begging silently. "Hello, yes, Officer. No, she—" Kagome looks away, eyes glued ahead as she opens the door and steps out.

The door slams closed behind her.

•••

 _Leave_ , her minds tells her. It's the only logical thing left to do. She can't trust this man. She couldn't go back. They'd take her to a mental institution. She would be prodded and questioned and gods knew what more.

She runs into the house, takes her bag — ready to go, ready to leave, _ready to escape_ — turns and heads to the exit.

She would've made it. She would've made it out and into the streets, away from the man and the shrine and the twisted remnants of her past.

But the _well_.

It's scarily difficult to tear out the wood blocking her passage. The nails fall to the floor along with her blood. Her nails are broken and fingertips torn from the effort, but her powers activate mindlessly, healing the broken skin. Kagome enters the well house and stops near the well. She takes a full breath and stares down into the darkness.

Her hands, small and callused and shining pink as they heal, grasp at the edge. It's tempting.

 _Jump._

She does.

•••

"You didn't leave."

Huddled against the wall, embraced by the oppressive darkness in the very bottom of the well that once was her portal home, Kagome closes her eyes. There's pain. Pain in knowing and dreading what follows this man. Police, questions, faces that don't match her memories. A life that isn't hers to live.

"No," she whispers, perhaps afraid that if she spoke too loudly someone else would hear.

Silence reigns too heavy between. Kagome hates it. She wishes he'd be done with it, just throw the ladder down and take her outside to the police officers and the suffering family of a girl that isn't her. It makes her look up, barely seeing his silhouette looming above her, awfully calm. A contrast to what happened the last time.

"I didn't go home."

He doesn't understand and Kagome doesn't expect him to. To him, she's a runaway girl, jumping into wells and speaking of visions and aliens and souls. She's a crazy girl that maybe wishes for death, that doesn't discern what is real or not. A girl with her head in the clouds and wishing to be six feet under.

But she just wants to go home.

"They came the day you came here, you know", Kagome doesn't. "You were sitting by the tree, the whole day but your hair," It's dark, as it should be. But she can't hide it for much longer. The roots are so light, even if they grew so little. "It made you pass them unnoticed." Triumph, small as it is, is good. Not enough though, as she can see now. "You _googled_ this place before you came here," There's a laughing tune to his words like he finds her terribly amusing. _And stupid,_ Kagome thinks. "And you didn't even bother to clean up your search history."

It strikes something in her, the disbelief in his voice. It brings shame and judgment and… _he has no right._ "And how could _you_ do better?" She gets up and glares up at him, clenched and baring her teeth in a snarl. "You make up terrible charms and judges the people who buy it! You barely know about your own history, not even your own shrine's! You don't care about how what you do makes your family name look like! You don't care about what it does to the shrine! You don't care about anything other than money! You barely shower or eat or do anything other than sleep! You don't even care to clean this place! You're falling apart and taking everything your family built with you! You think yourself so capable? You're _pathetic_!"

"From what I hear, _girly_ , so are _you._ " He spits out with as much anger as her. Their resemblance, hers and his, is clear in the wake of their fury. "You're rich, and pretty, and a damn _hafu_ in the golden age of idols and shit. And then aliens invade and you fucking runaway? Because what? _You had a vision?_ " He chuckles but there's no amusement in it. It's dry and forced. "And you're so _spoiled_ you don't even do it right?!"

"And how would _you_ know what's the right way?!"

"BECAUSE I DID IT!" It's heartbreaking. His voice is like thunder that echoes in her ears, scares away all of the anger and frustration and fear, leaving only surprise behind. "I ran, and I only came back when my family was _dead_."

Kagome is too stunned to reply and he uses her silence to throw down the ladder without so much as a grunt for a warning. Her back hits the wall behind her again, and she blinks and coughs as the dust rises with the ladder hitting the ground.

"Now do us a favor and get the hell into the house. I didn't warn them about ya," his head disappears from the edge and his voice is distant. "But I'll change my fucking mind the moment you step out." When she manages to go back up, he's long gone.

•••

"Show me your hands," he says, standing on the kitchen with his hands on his hips and a heavy frown on his face. Kagome tucks her hands away from sight and gives him a hard glare. He sighs. "I saw the blood. On the wood and the ground. Show me your fucking hands." _Awfully potty today._

"They're fine."

"Gimme your fuckin' hands."

"I'm fine!"

He steps up to her and tries to grab her arms, but she ducks right under him to escape. They scramble around each other but he eventually catches one of her hands and pulls her to face him. Being grabbed by people for the thousandth time is no less different from her first, so Kagome struggles against his hold as he grabs her other hand and brings them close to his eyes.

They are scratch free, Kagome knows. But there's blood and dirt covering them. Higurashi uses his thump to wipe away the dry blood, seeing only intact skin underneath. Kagome sees the confusion overthrow all previous thoughts. He blinks once, twice, and then wipes all the dirt on her hands with his own shirt.

"What…?"

Smooth pale skin shows underneath.

He slowly looks up at her, a question on the tip of his tongue. Kagome won't prove anything to him, she refuses to show him her powers. To him, she won't ever say a thing about the supernatural again. She slaps his hands from her, crossing her arms and looking away from him.

"I'm _fine._ "

He shakes his head, eyes narrowing on her. "But how…?" Kagome doesn't bother to answer him, pursing her lips and turning away. He doesn't speak, doesn't ask anything. When she hears him moving, she flinches and immediately he stops. Again, it's like every time they are near each other, silence fills the air and presses over them, threatening to crush. "Kagome, they won't come for you."

"How can you be so sure?" She turns to face him, and she wishes she hadn't. His whole face is tired, sad. It's like he's turning grey with death, like his soul is in shambles and barely enough to fill him.

"I told them you never appeared," he continues, softly. _You don't scare me_ , she wishes to say, even as she steps back. "That I hadn't seen you anywhere near here, how could I? They were looking for a blond girl and all I'd seen was a normal Japanese one who liked to stare at a tree." He comes closer and this time Kagome looks down, avoiding intense eyes that once stared back at her on every reflection. "They looked around once and moved on, gave me their numbers and asked for mine. That day, I was gonna turn you in."

She snaps back at him, "then why didn't you?!" and the moment her eyes meet his, she deflates. All the anger, all the bitterness and fear and confusion draws back at the sadness in his eyes.

"Because I thought you looked a lot like myself, when I was your age."

And how breathtakingly sorrowful is it to hear those words coming from her own father?

•••

The water falls on her, and it's the only soothing sensation Kagome experienced in a damn while.

 _("You stay here, work for me until you can go back and I won't turn you in, deal?")_

It's lukewarm, falling heavily over her body. Liquid travels down her skin like she pictures a lover's caress would.

( _"Why are you doing this?")_

Could InuYasha love her in such a way? Could they have lived long enough to try? Will they ever meet again to fall in love again and share such intimacies in times of peace? Would she be stuck in the past, if she came back? Would she be stuck in her time?

Which one would she prefer?

 _("The alternative isn't kind, girly.")_

How cruel is she for knowing that in the end, it all came back to what she so selfishly wishes for? That she needs to choose between her loving family or a past that could kill her in so many ways but had her selfish loves?

Her family loved her so effortlessly, protected her without a doubt. They were her shield and sword and spells all in one. A security that was but fragile in the past, yet one she built by herself by sweat and blood and tears. For any kind of ending, Kagome would need to choose her love, would have to decide which one she preferred over the other. Which one she could live without.

Love is selfish, Kagome knows.

 _("…deal.")_

It made her choose to stay here, with this man, in this fake home of hers, instead of fighting for her way home.

•••

"Here," he throws something at her face.

Kagome falls back on her _futon_ as the object hits her, arms fumbling uselessly to catch it and failing miserably.

"Wha—"

"You mentioned something about your birthday yesterday, right?" He's scowling for absolutely no reason, shifting his weight from one leg to the other as he looks at everything around her newly assigned room but her. "So that's your fucking gift. It's an old one I had that is shit as fuck, but should be useful." And he slams the door closed with a huff.

She blinks, completely baffled by his sudden behavior. _Such a tsundere,_ she thinks while unwrapping the…toilet paper wrapping.

 _How rude,_ and she can feel the twitching on her eyelid from the cheer careless and stupid gift wrapping paper choice. It's soon gone as her eyes widen and stare down at the simple black device in her hand. Kagome fiddles with it for a moment before discovering that it opens up with a flip. It's a cellphone! But much more modern than any she's seen on her own time. Nothing like the sleek ones people use on the street, or Higurashi's current one, but foreign all the same.

 _A gift, huh?_ Her thumb caresses the worn keys with fondness she couldn't ever properly show him.

"Thank you," she says to the empty room.

The door slams open, "so you like it?"

"DON'T SPY ON ME, MIROKU YOU PERVERT!"

"Who the fuck is Miroku?! Did you just call me a _pervert_?!"

•••

"What's that." It sounds more like a sentence than a question when he asks with such a dead-like voice.

"Dinner," she puts all the good she bought on the kitchen table. Something other than rice, canned food, and instant ramen. "And breakfast. For a few days, at least."

"I will pretend I didn't hear that you went to do groceries and wasted a fortune on vegetables and actual meat instead of getting, uh, cheap stuff."

"…I did. With my money, though."

He looks at her with suspicious eyes she kind of understands. She isn't supposed to actually have money.

"Ok," he sighs. "The pan is—" but he stops it because Kagome walks directly to the cabinets and takes out everything she needs. Everything is precisely where she is used to, just a few missing pieces and some added modernities. Still, it breaks her heart all the same as it brings a smile to her lips. She doesn't notice the way he watches her until she turns back to the table to get the needed items she just bought.

Kagome blinks at his dumbfounded look. "Is there a problem?"

He looks at her, mouth hanging open, hands on his hips and a heavy frown. It's then that realizes that she had never entered the kitchen to cook since she came here. She snaps her mouth shut, looks away, and gets to cook.

After a few more minutes, he leaves.

 **•••**

 **A/N:** I've decided to chop chapters in half so you get weekly content! :v

On a more serious note, I never really delved in the behind the scenes for the first chapter. I'll do my best to point out how I created stuff.

First off: all dates and hours and climate on the first chapter and this one are as accurate as I can make them. From the day Loki arrives on earth to the invasion. Even in this chapter and all the future ones, I'm still using the official MCU dates and timeline along with real-world climate and facts or whatever I can find without giving me a headache. So, the hardest part of the first chapter was to connect everything as perfectly as I could with the Japanese timezone as things happened in the USA. It fitted very handsomely too; Loki's entrance on earth in the Mojave desert was right on the school hours in Tokyo, so it fits very well. Lots of things lined up very well.

Like Kagome's birthday in this chapter! It's so soon after the invasion and her running away from her family. There are a few more fun facts about her birthday that will show up on the next chapter~ I wonder if you guys will understand? :)

Higurashi shrine in Ito is an actual real place. Unfortunately, I couldn't get as much information as I'd like from it other than an obscure youtube video lol. At least, I couldn't get enough on English. Still, I mixed it with InuYasha canon and still fits nicely. For what I know, it's not a rundown place like I depictured here. This version of Higurashi shrine is purely for this story's sake.

We'll learn more about Papa H in the future (he literally showed up out of nowhere in this story. Things just escalated quickly lol).

Thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follows.

~Mari


	3. Those We Trust

The cicadas sing a beautiful song as spring turns to summer. _Sakura_ petals stop painting the streets baby pink little by little and watermelon is the next great investment in any household. The few teens that bought her working charms bring more people in, fantastical stories of protection or realization that happened soon after they bought it giving good credibility to their falling shrine.

" _I told you so"_ is Kagome's preferred way of greeting Higurashi-san for the next few months, as the shrine finally gains life.

Kagome hair grows a little, bringing forth the blinding blonde color she despises. She uses a scarf around her head and ties it with a pretty bow. Their new, frequent, costumers comment on it and she laughs it off saying it's just the next fashion trend. Higurashi watches silently.

"Go to a hair salon," Kagome blinks at his form. The man is laying on the ground, spread over it with his face digging into the floor while she struggles with their clean laundry. He wears his _kimono_ like a robe, white loose t-shirt that is turning yellow and some loose shorts that could be underwear. Kagome isn't sure.

"I can't just leave," she gestures towards outside. "We just bought the stuff to fix the—"

"AUGH!" He slams his palms on the ground and Kagome cringes at the drool spot on the floor when he looks up at her. "You hair looks like shit, girl."

" _You_ look like shit."

"Oi, watch your language," To which she only raises an eyebrow in response as he ignores her pointed look. He sits on the floor, using his arms to support himself up. "Look, I give you a…one hour break."

"Five."

"Two, and it's decided." He crosses his arms, lifting his chin in defiance. Kagome gives him five seconds to squirm beneath her stare in silence before she speaks up.

"Four."

"GAH! Kid!" He throws his arms up and Kagome holds back her giggle. "Three and no more."

"I'm glad to make business with you!" She beams and immediately lets the basket full of dry and clean clothing fall on top of his lap. "Be back in a few hours!"

"THREE!"

"And a half!"

"KAGOME—"

•••

"Oh, Higurashi-chan looks so pretty!" Tai, a prepubescent girl that became one of the blessed regulars after buying a lucky charm, comments. Her soul flutters prettily, invisible to everyone but Kagome. It's mixed with faint tendrils of her own energy because of the charm that hangs from her mobile. The key was to keep it next to oneself at all times, and everyone kept their phones the closest, Kagome learnt soon enough. "You're so brave! Cutting such beautiful long hair…" And she sighs wistfully, twirling one long strand of her own hair.

Kagome smiles softly at the younger girl, giving the correct change to the elderly couple she was attending before answering. "I felt like I needed the change," she looks at the girl, feeling the tips of her now short hair brushing softly against her neck. It's something she'll have to get used to again. "Besides, it's easier to maintain."

"Yeah, you paint your hair, right?"

Kagome turns to look at her so fast her neck hurts.

Tai giggles, leaning on the counter. "Don't look so scared! It's quite normal, these days, you know?" She pointed at her. "And your roots are too light, and then there's your eyelashes _and_ your eyebrows." Kagome feels like her ever-present headache is multiplying tenfold. _I went to the salon two weeks ago!_

It's risky, but Tai was quite young and perhaps wouldn't recognize the numerous searching ads and signs for the _hafu_ girl Kagome, as she was called by media. "Do you have any tips on how to maintain this?"

"Maybe some make-up. Eyebrow pencil or those balms, I dunno. I saw it on Instagram, Anasta something are the best!" Kagome doesn't have an Instagram account. She doesn't have even a phone that could support 'apps'. "Maybe some quick hair paint? One YouTuber I like uses ones that come from a little pot and she paints her own hair with all colors at home! You could have orange _and_ pink hair!" Kagome tries to smile through the cringe. "Your eyelashes are easy enough to solve with some mascara, though. Here, let me," she searches through schoolbag and offers her the product. "Though, maybe you should buy one for yourself because, hygiene, you know?"

Kagome takes a look at the product, memorizing it and handing it back to her with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Tai-chan."

"No problem, Higurashi-chan!" Her enthusiasm is endearing. "Now," Tai leans closer and Kagome indulges her with a little giggle. "I _really_ need your best _en-musubi omamori._ "

"Oh! Seeking love? So young?" The younger girl's blush is amusing and Kagome wonders if she and her friends looked like that. If, maybe, that is what she looked like to her Mama.

•••

No matter how many times he boards up the well-house, Kagome keeps tearing it open. It comes to a point that she doesn't even get hurt anymore. She channels her energy through her arms the same way she does to an arrow. It enhances her every action, puts power on every pull and push.

Higurashi comes to get her out every single time she collapses down the well's shadows.

•••

As the months pass, Kagome jumps less and less.

•••

"Summer is shit and festivals are shit, but one could help the shrine now."

"Higurashi-san, we can't afford a festival but our charms are the absolute best in town now. Business is good," she sits beside him, puts a hand on his shoulder and leans close to read the diverse bills that he's furiously glaring at. "Maybe next year we can actually afford a festival."

It lasts less than a second, but Kagome sees the way his frown intensifies at her words before his face smooths out into that lazy, dead fish-like face she's used to. "The AC is going to bankrupt me."

"It won't _."_

"It _will_ ," he turns at her, looking like a dead fish. "'Cause there's no way in hell that I won't use it every fucking day."

"Higurashi-san!" She slaps the side of his head. "We have to save up money."

He doesn't answer, just turns away from her and broods over the bills.

Kagome purses her lips but decides to ignore him and heads into the kitchen. There's dinner to prepare and Higurashi is better kept at a distance from the stove.

•••

Kagome blinks numbly at the strangely excited man as he stands before her, dressed in a pink dress costume that has her eyes itching. " _Yoshi,_ " and she can already feel herself twitching. "We will win the Tub Race this year."

She blinks, slowly and unsure if she heard him right.

"What."

"There's a race called Matsukawa Washtub Race on the Matsukawa river and we need to hurry and win it." Higurashi brandishes green thing onesie. "So hurry and dress up. We gotta catch the train."

"Wearing those…things?"

"Too chicken for it?"

Before he even finishes speaking, she grabs the thing from his hold. It has a weird dinosaur-cartoon-ish head for a hood. She marches to the bathroom, puts it on and looks in the mirror.

It's absolutely horrible and she falls into a fit of giggles that takes her five minutes to stop and has Higurashi banging on the door for her to hurry up.

•••

They get a train to Ito Station and take a ten minutes walk to get to the place, and the closer they get, the less weird looks they receive. People are joyful. Families laughing freely and groups of friends running around or taking pictures with people dressed as weirdly as them. Kagome receives various " _yoshi!"_ calls, and women giggle insanely when seeing Higurashi-san. He fools around with some guys, greets some others.

The sun shines brightly over them and she's sweating profusely under the onesie. No one recognizes her as the _hafu_ runaway girl though, so she takes this moment of freedom to observe. One poke to her should catches her attention and she turns to meet a group of girls and boys, maybe of her age. She's taller than them, taller than most people around here, so she needs to look down at them.

"Could we take a picture with you?" Anxious, Kagome brings the dino-head hood lower on her head, nodding and posing while hiding her face. They bow in thanks and Kagome is quick to bow back before jogging to Higurashi's side. He's waiting patiently beside the drums and when she arrives at his side they watch for a few moments before he grabs her arms and guides her to a line.

"Is taking photos with them wise?"

"I covered my face," she pulls on the hood dino green monstrosity. "With this."

"Hm…"

They sign up for the team race. Kagome goes to ask to be placed in the same team as him, but he beats her to it. "Could you, ah, place my dau—eh, _her_ in another team other than mine?"

Spluttering, Kagome grabs his arms and shakes her head, wide-eyed and slightly scared. She looks at the attendant and shakes her head. Of course, the attendant ignores her.

"Ara, a competitive family? Don't need to be scared, miss. People here just want to have some fun! Everything is safe and everyone is very polite and follows the rules." She points Higurashi to one group and he shakes off her hold on him without ever looking back at her. Kagome is shown another group of people, and they greet her with enthusiastic smiles.

For a moment, she hesitates. She's been so safe at the shrine. There were always the customers, but they weren't _looking_. There were the hair saloon people, but she had been quiet and called as little attention as she could. Now, now it's…it's frightening. She doesn't want to leave her fa—

Kagome smiles, hiding the cringe from the very thought of giving the man such a title, and greets them.

•••

It's the most fucking fun she ever had in all these months.

•••

"Thank you," she says quietly, in the little hole-in-the-wall restaurant when he orders some oden for them.

"For the out of season food?" is his cheeky come back. There's a healthy glow to his cheeks, warm and red from spending the day under the summer sun. There's life in him that she hasn't seen before. His shoulders aren't slouched and there's no slur to his words.

His hair is messy, but not lacking any kind of care like when they first met. Just a normal kind of messy after a long day of playing silly games outsides. His dress is absolutely dirty, damp, and full of holes because he stretched it too much. His smile hasn't left his face since the moment they touched the water with their respective _tarai_. It had been more difficult than expected, to ride a tub in the river, but their cheerful mood had been unbothered by the challenge.

Even if they had spent the day going race after race, and he had to introduce her as his daughter a thousand times over, something he absolutely hated to do; the smile remained there. They were surrounded by new friends he would probably only see again next year, and Kagome is unsure if she'd meet them anytime again.

But…

They'll come next year. And there's another festival next month, right?

Kagome doesn't tell why she is truly thanking him for — _thank you for getting me out of that well, for taking me in, for giving me a chance despite not believing me, for saving me from my own nightmare in your own way, for protecting me_ — with a single smile that speaks more than anything else she could say.

"For the oden. It's my favorite."

"Eh, really? I like oden too. We should get it more often."

"It's too hot though."

He stops eating and looks at her, blinking before putting his chopsticks down. One callused hand falls on top of her head and pats it with care. "We should just enjoy what we can now," and he sounds oddly melancholic. Their eyes meet, and Kagome feels like something heavy lays on his soul even as he smiles so lovingly. "A frog in a well does not know the great sea and a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."

"KANPAI!" Kagome flinches when the person sitting in front of them shouts and then their group laughs. It's enough to distract her from his weird proverb, and she laughs loudly with their new friends.

•••

"What do you think?"

"What's wrong with your face?" Kagome throws a pillow at _his_ stupid face.

"Stop being mean. I'm trying to learn how to do my eyebrows," she sighs, turning around and walking back to the bathroom.

"Well, you definitively need more practice. Keep trying."

"Thank you, Higurashi-san," she hopes he can hear the sarcasm in her words. Still, she grabs a makeup wipe and erases her work. "You're ever so kind," and she tries again.

•••

"Your daughter is such a blessing, my dear."

"Ah, eh, thanks, I guess," Higurashi shuffles anxiously on his feet as an older woman, an old friend of his mother, pats his cheek. "She's, ah, she knows her stuff."

 _Knows her stuff_ is one way of saying that her working charms may have saved them from going bankrupt. Kagome hides her amusement behind a cough, but not so well because Higurashi glares back at her as the old woman pinches his cheek.

"Why, I never knew Old Higurashi had a granddaughter, and so big already. Did he ever meet her? He must! Who else could've taught her so well?"

And her heart cracks just a bit more.

 _I taught myself._

"Ah, she lived with her mom in, eh—Russia?"

"Oh, such a delight! A _hafu_ girl? Just like the ones on TV! But your Kagome is obviously so much more honorable. And pretty! So tall and thin, darling. You could be a model. Ne, Higurashi, help your daughter become famous, ne?"

"Oi, old woman, she's a shrine maiden."

"Well, she could do better."

 _I had to._

•••

Higurashi is awfully prodding, afterward. "What's wrong?"

Should she answer him? Kagome looks at him and sees wide eyes that once belonged on her own face. It's one thing she shared with her father then and she wishes she shared it now. They're earnest, more than months prior when they barely met and trust was nonexistent. It's August now. That was March.

"I miss them," her voice is soft. 'Them' is not who he may think they are, but it's something that storms her heart. Her grandpa, her mama, and Souta are in every shadow of this shrine, their destinies tied closely to a place that lacked their presences. In the distance, she hears those sounds that never really left, voices speaking over each other, mama going about in the kitchen, Souta playing games in that tiny bulky TV they had, grandpa's back as he sat by the _engawa_ watching over the shrine. The sound of her home. Between what her own mind deceives her with, the visions remain just as loudly, making it all the more bitter as a reminder of what she doesn't know that brought her here, away from them.

"…then why?"

"Because I don't belong."

He wheezes out a laugh that has no amusement. His eyes are dark, dry and bitter. "I thought that too, when I ran," he shakes his head, putting his arms on the table and leaning forward. "I hated this place. I hated my father and everything he wanted me to be. I didn't want this, you know?"

 _I do_ is on the tip of her tongue. Because. Because he has no real attachment here. He doesn't take care of his heirloom, takes no love from the labor and the lore and the culture and the gods. He pays no homage to any of the traditions Kagome knows with the back of her hand.

"So I ran, lived on the streets, traveled the whole fucking country, had great cash. I was at the top of the world and I was alone. And—and then…"

"Then you came back."

He stops. Stares out at her without really seeing her. Looks at the ceiling. Kagome pretends to not notice the tears that fall down his cheeks.

"Then, I—I came back."

 _("I ran, and I only came back when my family was dead.")_

"I just—" his breath hitches and she has to bit her lip to stop herself from…from _something_. _Anything_ to help him and take the pain away. "I missed them. So. Fucking. Much." Higurashi cries, and it's weird and wrong and so painful to watch. Kagome wants to get up and get out, but that's not what he needs. That's not what he deserves. "And—And I was going to come back. I was— I was!" He puts his hands over his eyes, like that would keep the pain in with the tears. "And I told myself that every week that passed. Every month and year but I fucking didn't and now," he presses his palms to his face, hiding his face — his eyes, _his soul_ — from her.

 _I want you to heal_ , Kagome thinks. _I wish you to heal_.

Nothing happens despite her desperate wish. Higurashi still looks defeated and alone. Isolated, sitting in front of her with a bowl of rice and red beans in front of him, wearing his worn kimono-like robe, hair a careless mess like the house he lived in.

"Now, here I am," he murmurs so lowly she almost doesn't hear. Kagome shakes her head at the self-hatred she knows lurks in his heart and mind. "Destroying their most precious home, the one they left behind to the son who abandoned them," he pulls the bowl away from him, pulling himself up while cleaning his nose. "And I keep telling myself that's ok because _I still don't belong._ " Kagome extends her hand towards him, but it falls to her side as he moves away.

•••

The well is not that deep into the earth. It's a shallow thing that is easy enough to get out. She had done it plenty of times with InuYasha and many of her friends. They offered a hand and she never hesitated to hold it. It does not feel like it, now.

Kagome feels like she couldn't be deeper into the earth. There are bones laid on the ground at the end of it. They dig into her legs and backside, and the earth that makes up the well's walls smell of old dirt.

It doesn't take her back home, and its embrace is both comforting and soul-eating. There's no exact word that can describe how absolutely…There's no way to describe the way her heart simply ceases to exist the moment she falls down and looks up see the well-house's roof. There's no way to properly describe how much she hurts for herself, for her family, for Higurashi. How she thinks that…that, maybe, fate is kinder to the version of him that is her father in truth. How death, to him, had been sweeter because of the memories and life he left behind.

Kagome cries to him, for him, with him. For hours, she sits there, in the well that is the only way she knows of that could possibly take her back, and she cries.

 _There's no going back_ , her mind tells her. There's no way of fixing whatever has happened to her. The visions come and go, as they do now; showing a bald woman, serene as she looks right at Kagome. Green mist distorts reality, distorts time. A second passes that become eons as they stare into each other's eyes. The vision changes and she sees the two men that are always with the scepter, prodding and studying it.

 _These things hold my destiny_. Would she take this path? Would she leave behind more of who she loved for answers and adventures? Would she leave this shrine behind once more? Would she dare to leave Higurashi, who is more dear to her than the faint memories of her real father?

"You stupid fucking predictable girl," his voices comes from above and Kagome scrunches her eyes closed— _what is he doing here._

"Why did you come," she asks, aching for answers. Ones that are within her reach. Ones that he can give. "Why do you care."

He takes his time, mimicking a heavy silence between them that hadn't be present for months. "Because I see me in you," and she knows that. He said that.

 _( "I thought you looked a lot like myself, when I was your age.")_

"And I see you in myself."

 _You are not alone._

She shakes her head, laughing despite the pain. _You don't know, you won't ever know._ "You can't mean that," because he's a normal human, with a normal soul. He doesn't know.

 _I am your daughter._

"But I do," and he offers her a helping hand. "I really do."

 _You are my father._

She sobs, grabbing his hand as pulls her out of the shadows.

 _And I love you._

•••

"Did we really need to spend that much on a kimono, Higurashi-san?" Kagome pulls at the modest, but fine texture of the kimono they agreed on. The Anjon Festival's last and most expected day has arrived, and they had to scramble to find clothes that they could pay and that would be good enough to Higurashi's surprisingly high taste.

"Yes, of course," for once he's wearing his traditional clothes properly, escorting her to the festival with an easy and confident gait. "We should indulge and live a little. Besides, we have to take pictures and I don't want my company to be ugly. What will people say?" He's not really serious, Kagome knows, but she still elbows his side. He pretends it actually hurts with a whining voice and Kagome turns away to hide her smirk.

The streets are beautifully decorated, and people wear beautiful clothes and are having the best of time. Kagome feels her own soul expand with happiness, light tendrils only visible to her brushing against them. Every being around her vibrates with joy. It makes her hazy, drunk on peace.

It's the best feeling in the world. And the warmth of her father — _he is my father he is my father how can he not be_ — only highlights that.

"You've been spending a lot on me lately," she chuckles, tugging at his sleeve before joking. "If you keep doing that, we will never be able to do our own festival next year!" There's also the great order of decorated little bags for _omamori_ that Kagome would get for New Year. There were many other things, but she's been doing a lot of blessed _omamori_ and even dabbling into _ofuda_ in preparation for the oncoming winter.

"You don't need to worry about that, or any of the other things I'm sure you're plotting," she giggles at his pointed look. "Just enjoy the moment with this old man, alright?"

"That sounds very dirty, _o-san_."

"Shut up, brat."

•••

The fireworks are the most beautiful thing she's ever seen since coming here. It deafens her, engulfing her whole, and she has to crane her neck back so she can see them in full. There are so many and so many colors, Kagome could never hope to fully see it. The ocean reflects the show of light with ripples, like paint thrown over a canvas.

At this moment, the nagging on the back of her head, the pulling to the mysterious visions and the ever-present headache are forgotten. It sits back at the face of pure amazement Kagome experiences.

Kagome had forgotten how to live, it seemed.

"I take it that you like it?" The cheeky man asks and Kagome beams widely, showing more happiness than any other moment since she woke up here.

"I love it. I love it so much," the fireworks erupt in a symphony of chaos and beauty, symmetry and fire. "Thank you so much, papa."

Higurashi doesn't answer and steps back, his hold on her hand tighening.

It's the only and last time she ever calls him that.

•••

They sleep in front of the TV, she resting her head on his shoulder while he rests his on the crown of her head. Kagome wakes up with the sun, warm and cozy in the arms of her father. The TV is still on, a harsh light cutting through the dark room. She straightens, stretching and awing while Higurashi mumbles in his sleep, turning away from her and returning to slumber. She turns the TV off, smiling softly at the figure of her father.

Kagome gets up, entering the kitchen while scratching her eye, blinking the sleepiness away. She grabs a cup of water, drinks it in one go and heads out to take their clothes from the previous day to clean. The beautiful kimono he bought is soft in her hands as she washes it with care, smiling softly at the flying bluebirds, soaring through the deep navy of the fabric.

By the time she puts things on the clothing line, the sun is high in the sky and shining brightly. The birds sing beautifully and the fresh air of the morning is reinvigorating. She can see Higurashi moving around the kitchen. The lazy morning breeze plays with her short strands as she stands watching him, a smile playing on her lips. The fireworks bloom in her memory, cutting through the dark night sky, illuminating their world and filling their hearts with awe.

Stepping into the kitchen, he looks up from the dirty dishes to meet her gaze, a matching peacefulness in his face. Kagome smiles, chiming a "good morning!" that he returns with a nod. He faces away from her then, looking out the window with an expression she couldn't quite describe.

•••

Kagome always wakes up before the sun.

She goes about her day as she usually does; clean yesterday's laundry, puts it to dry as the sun rises and then get the breakfast ready while Higurashi lazily washes yesterday's dishes. Eat, clean, shower and get to work. The first thing to do is get to the office, oversee the stock and work on a few of the products. Higurashi sets up the main shop while she works in the back and she's done, usually by the time school hour is over, she goes to the front and he goes back to the house laze around.

She scolds him every day, the stupid lazy ass.

•••

The well is as much of a balm as it is a deamon haunting her, sucking lwhat life she has out of her.

Kagome sees it now.

•••

"Higurashi-san."

"Hmmm…?"

"Would you help…close…the well?"

"…took you too long, brat."

•••

Ten days after the fireworks and more than a thousand or so charms completed, Kagome closes the office with a heavy sigh. It's already dark, Higurashi has gone back to their house a long time ago. Kagome has been serious about preparing for the New Year. She expects to get this shrine up and running as the best in the city with only a few years work.

Her blessings would bring good fortune to the people and she would save her grandpa's legacy. Kagome can't do much as a runaway with no documents, but she will do her best. Her hair has grown past her shoulders now and her roots are dark, as she made sure to keep it every week with some easy hair painting products she found on YouTube. Her eyebrows are spot on the same color as her hair, along with her fair eyelashes.

Kagome can move on. She can work with this.

She passes the well-house with barely a glance.

She enters her home in silence, sneaking her way to the living room.

She stops on her tracks to see whatever Higurashi is watching on the TV.

She freezes when she sees her mother's face on the screen.

 _"It's my daughter's birthday today. She's eighteen and alone and maybe mentally ill. She needs her family. Kagome is such a brilliant girl, but so lost in her own world. Please, I beg you, if you have any idea where she can be, contact us."_

Her gaze moves down, at the profile that has become so familiar to her. He's got his gaze fixed on the TV. Wide-eyed and mouth set into a tight line. She can see how he grinds his jaw, how he gulps down in dread. Kagome's hand inches toward the gift he had given her months ago, sitting heavily in her pocket. It's then that he turns to face her, and it's devastating because she sees no anger. No true anger.

She sees guilt. It's on the way that he grips his phone, how he looks like he's about to cry. How he curls into himself like it's her who will strike him in rage. It dawns on her then, because the footage is clearly from early in the day, and now…

It's dawn.

"You called them."

There's a knock on the door.

"I did."

Kagome runs towards her room and he jumps to his feet to grab her. His hand reaches her and it's instinct that channels spiritual energy down her arm. She draws it back, twists on her heel and _flings_ him across the room and through the door. There's guilt, there's a terrible terrible feeling of guilt that surges up and freezes her for a second. But then the officers pour in with guns ready and Kagome turns. She enters her room before they can take a proper look at her. She heads directly to her bag, ready to grab it and jump out but — her bag _isn't ready_.

She had unpacked it. She had relaxed.

Kagome had _trusted_.

There's not enough time to pack everything she needs. Not with a fragile door. There's no paper to help for any spell. Kagome rushes to the mostly empty bag, knows her wallet is there, but not with all her expenses. On the few seconds that she grabs the little chest with her money from her desk and throws it on the bag, they are already banging on her door.

Maybe a barrier could buy her time? Could she do it? What's the spell? There are no sutras like Miroku's, she doesn't know how to make them. Is it any different from how she blesses the charms?

There's no time to think, no time at all, and she grabs her clothes just as the door flies open. Kagome gets her cellphone — _it's a gift as much as it's her dooming_ — and saturates the thing with spiritual energy. She throws it at the officer and watches in horror as it blows him back so hard he's stuck on the wall, painting the corridor in blood as he slumps, unconscious. Maybe dead.

 _TURN AWAY!_ And she does. She does because she needs to go, to run far and far away from here. She goes for the window, snaps it open as the group behind her screams for the officer. Kagome's legs charge with power and she jumps. She falls ungracefully on her arm, rolling on the ground. Her shoulder throbs. Kagome lets her powers pool around it, lightning her skin pink.

She looks back and sees Higurashi slumped against the entrance door. He's staring at her shoulder, at her glowing skin. There's that self-hatred in his face again, along with realization and amazement.

It's when their eyes meet and his widen in what is clear horror and guilt that Kagome realizes she's crying. Teeth clenched tight and lips curled over them, Kagome snarls at the sight of the man she gave so much. It's disgust, it's wrath. It's ugly and miserable and it claws at her chest, tearing her heart apart. She looks away, gazes steadily onto the exit and gets up on her feet.

 _Betrayal is ever so sad because it always comes from those who we trust._

Kagome runs away from the last remembrance of her world.

•••

 **A/N:** *gasp* whatever shall happen now to Higurashi? How long can Kagome keep running? How does she truly feel about all this?

The birthday day will make sense lol (I actually planned this ushushushushuhs it was purposeful and it's quite simple.) Can y'all figure it out though?

Anyways, here's the comfort and the hurt, and the adventure. Romance will take a long while yet sorry x-x

DID YOU LIKE PAPA HIGURASHI? Do you think Kagome will forgive him? How much will he tell the officers? :00000 What shall become of him? Take your guesses, my dudes. We have two, three-ish more chapters of more Kagome Adventures Through Japan before we get to the first MCU movie. Which one do you think will be?

ALSO! All festivals mentioned are official real-life Ito festivals! YEs, Higurashi went to a tub race dressed as Princess Peach. The first photo that came up when I searched the festival was of people dressed as Mario or other cosplays, so I thought to have a little fun myself. (Yep, Kagome wore a Yoshi onesie lol).

Did you like the feelings in this :3

I teared up a little, lemme say.

There's more next chapter :)

~Mari


	4. Forgotten, Alone

Running toward Ito Station while escaping the police is the most terrifying thing she has ever done. Kagome is now a true criminal, maybe. She is almost sure she killed that officer and had assaulted Hig— _that man_ by throwing him out of the house through the door.

She can hear the sirens, she can hear the shouts of warning as she zigzags through the streets. Her legs are pumping with energy without her really thinking about it and she's running so fast she rolls on the ground on every curve, and ends up rolling down the sloping roads, incapable of handling such speeds. Still, she applies techniques learned a year back.

She has run from plenty of speedy demons, running from police cars should be easy enough. Then, get a train to wherever the hell is farther away from this place, and then get another one as soon as it hits destination. That's the plan and it's an easy one. She can totally disappear in the night. It's going to be easy—

There are five police cars ahead of her, just passing under the train bridge going over the street. Kagome thinks, for a single, fleeting moment that this is it. She's going to be dragged back to that family that isn't hers, to a mental hospital, to a cell. She'd done for. If they have these many cars going as a back-up, if they're this desperate to catch her, then she has no chance to escape.

There's no getting in a train and disappearing now. Not after she displayed such violence and demonstrated her inhuman abilities.

The summer breeze is freezing against her wet cheeks, biting back any warmth and peace that she'd ever had, that she had ever conquered. It takes her back to square one, to sorrow deep enough to drive her mad if she lets it. But Kagome isn't one that gives up so fucking easily.

So she _jumps._

She sails through the air, screaming an embarrassingly high tone as the cars speed under her and the energy dissipates back into her soul. She lands on the train tracks of the bridge, her ankles twisting and snapping painfully before she rolls over and hits the bridge barrier on the other side. The pain is bad, but nothing she couldn't handle.

It's not like she was bitten by a giant demon or half of her soul was taken from her.

 _Heal, please, heal,_ she begs her powers to do her bidding. They do, rightening her ankles and feet with a sickening snap and a breathless scream on her part. Wheezing for breath, Kagome kneels and looks towards the direction of the tracks that she is sure heads to the nearest station. The police sirens sing in the night, and the cars have stopped just a few ways ahead of the bridge. Dragging herself over the tracks and peaking over the barrier facing the side from where she jumped from, she can see the officers getting out of their cars and looking around in confusion on the ground below.

Looking back to where she needs to go, Kagome purses her lips, charging her legs with power again and running as fast as she can down the tracks. She falls down, she trips on the train tracks. But she is quick to get the fuck up and reaching the fucking station because _fuck_ , she will not give up her freedom. This is her choice and she will stand by it.

The station is just filling up with people and it's easy enough for Kagome to blend in with the distracted crowd. She goes directly towards the restrooms, closing the door behind her and digging through her bag. She almost screams in frustration when she notices that she's got is the kimono, yoga pants and a hoodie. She scrambles to get out of her simple merchandise t-shirt and into the hoodie, drawing the hood over her head.

Putting a few strands of her dark hair behind her ears, Kagome puts the bag on her back and strides out of the restroom with her head down. A train arrives on the platform and she just sneaks a glance to it, reading _Izukyu-Shimoda,_ before entering it.

The door closes behind her and she finds a place to sit. Her legs ache as they never did before. She stretches them before her, swallowing a pained scream when they are fully straight. Kagome folds over herself, hands gripping tightly to her thighs and closing her eyes. She breathes. In and out.

In and out.

•••

Shimoda is a small town, which means she needs to get the hell out of there as quick as possible. The only way to get to a bigger city that won't go back through Ito or closer, is through the docks, bus or taxi. It's been one hour since her sprint and Kagome's body feels like dead weight, but she drags herself out and buys a Japan map that when fully unfolded is as long as her and twice wider.

She had decided on the way here to head for Osaka, since it was a bigger city and much more easy to disappear into. It's said that Nishinari Ward is dangerous for the high number of homeless and riots and yakuza, and it's there that Kagome can disappear for a few months until people forget her for a bit.

But there's no fucking ferry to Osaka and she's not willing to go to the Izu Islands and get stuck there.

"Are you sure that there's no way for me to get to Osaka?"

"By sea? No, miss," the elderly man she found on the docks says. His friends laugh and cheer to sake again. "But you could get the train to Ito and—"

"No, thank you," she bows to him, a strained smile on her lips before parting from them with a goodnight the group cheered for. She does not let her thoughts wander, looking forward and focusing on her current goal.

•••

She settles for finding the cheapest inn, no questions asked and pay at entering with the bills she has. The room she is given is absolutely crappy, with no window and four _tatamis_ of space, public bath and kitchen. There's an old but well-kept _futon_ on the corner that she struggles to properly set in the small space. The roof is too low for her height, her head two inches from scraping against it when she stands tall.

When she lays down after quickly washing, Kagome stares up in the dark. Her hands are folded on top of her chest, moving with it as she breathes. The AC is loud, too loud. She feels compressed, tight. The futon smells old, the _tatami_ is uncomfortable under it. If she extends her hands, her fingertips will reach each wall without her arms fully stretched out. Her stomach rumbles in hunger.

She's alone, so utterly and completely alone she wonders if she's still alive.

It's with a drop of dread in her stomach that Kagome realizes that she has _never_ been alone. There's been no moment in her life where she had to fend for herself, where she couldn't seek help and guidance. There's never been a moment where there wasn't family, loved ones, allies or friends around her.

And now she's— her own _father…_

There are tears falling from her eyes, she can feel their cold touch on her skin. Her breath hitches, her chest hurts, her whole being shrivels up, dry of feeling and warmth. She remembers standing at the door, ready for dinner, ready for the end of the day where he would play his stupid games or watch the news as she readies their food but—

 _("You called them.")_

Summer days hurtle through her vision, lighting up the darkness that surrounds her, drowning the sounds of loneliness and her sobs. Reality shifts, whispers deafen memories now stained with betrayal as a scream builds up inside of her.

 _("I did.")_

She found family and home, she found love and security and healing, but now all of it is gone. Ripped away from her along with her heart, opening wounds that had begun to scar. Her scream tears through her throat, silent and weak as she weeps pitifully. Sobs rise and her breath turns erratic as she howls brokenly in her tiny room. Kagome claws at her mouth, trying to keep those horrid sounds inside. Trying to keep the hurt at bay.

Kagome can feel herself breaking apart.

•••

The following morning, the first thing she does is — _hurt hurt hurt_ — count her money. She's got enough to survive for a few weeks on live cash if she really tries. She's been keeping the money since she first ran, only dipping into it the first time she went for groceries and to get her products for hair and make-up. When she goes out of the inn, she buys her hair paint, mascara, and eyebrow pencil. Canned food is essential for survival, so she buys as much as she can carry.

Next is the net coffee place. She pays for an hour and is taken to mini-room with tatami, futon, computer and dest. It's better than her shitty inn. Kagome sits down and researches how the hell she can get to Osaka without passing through Ito.

The only way is to get a cab to Toumei, and it costs around five thousand yen.

 _Ouch, kid, better walk there._

She ignores her own imagination, focusing on the price of the bus that takes half a day to arrive at Osaka. The train is quicker though, two hours and she's in one of the biggest cities in Japan. Still, it's not safe, the bus will take too long so the most expensive route it is.

Hesitantly, she researches 'Kagome' and is bombarded with news and photos and videos and—

 _"I tried to protect her. I am very sorry for keeping Kagome in secret with me, but I feared what she would do to herself if I called the authorities. I deserve my sentence, and I will answer accordingly to it but_ _—Kagome doesn't. She doesn't deserve to be accused of anything. She's_ _—She's good, just...She is just confused now, and very very scared. She's not a criminal, or, or a villain._ _Kagome is—ah, she—she is very sad, and, not quite, not quite, eh, normal. I mean—"_

She closes the tab and storms out of the place.

•••

Kagome pulls her hood over her face and faces the window, sitting on the back seat of the cab.

The ride to Toumei is silent.

•••

It's stifling hot with the summer sun on her back, but Kagome perseveres to Hamamatsu station.

From there, she goes directly to Osaka.

•••

Getting to one's destination successfully should be a victory, something that fills you with elation. It's reaching a goal, without any kind of problem or much of a hassle.

Laying on the cold ground, every single layer of clothes she had on her body after spending almost all of her money on getting here, it doesn't feel like winning.

•••

Nishinari ward is not that bad, it's just that Kagome has no more than nine hundred yen on her pocket. It can get her a night on a net cafe or _one_ thing to eat. Sleeping in the train station is a no-no since the government is keen on taking people from there now, playing an annoying sound the entire night through the speakers and letting the lights on.

As the days pass, Kagome is quick to observe the people around her, how the older homeless people investigate garbage bags early in the morning. InuYasha would be proud of how early she wakes up everyday now.

It's something curious though, how clean they are despite living on the streets. It takes days for Kagome to understand how and where they clean themselves. She heads for the park next to Senno, passing by a pair of playing children and entering the public bathroom. She cries in relief when she _finally_ washes her skin after days, scrubbing it for as long as she can, taking full advantage of the precious clean water coming from the sink. Drying feels like taking away old skin, and though her clothes are dirty, it's just so much better than she could ever get. A scream from the park captures her attention, and she grabs her bag in a hurry, pushing the door open with a bang.

When she gets out, she looks around the suspiciously empty park in confusion.

•••

The Shelter is full of sick people near a public park. Kagome volunteers to help, silently blessing people with health and good fortune the way she learned to do to paper. People get better and people die. Kagome ignores their warnings of death, how to stay at the shelter is to die with illness.

After her fourth miracle healing, Kagome finds an income.

She tells them her name is Miko.

•••

Kagome watches as old lady Amaya and her little grandchildren leave the Shelter. The kids jump excitingly around her, excited shouts of joy for their eminent moving. Old Lady Amaya is her nickname, but the ex-prostitute is old only in appearance and follows diligently after them.

Amaya smiles tiredly at the children, limping after them while the men take their single suitcase. Kagome had been the one who helped save her leg after one bad encounter with an old customer. It's infuriating how the woman had insisted on her not interfering, saying that she had settled things and would be moving on the next day.

Kagome hand't expected for suited men to arrive and take them away.

"It's Takumi-camp," Kiyoshi-san who has a bad eye infection, cracked ribs and three fingers on each hand tells her. "A place where people who can't pay their debts go. They work for Takumi in exchange for cleaning their name."

"Sounds fishy," Kagome tells him, one spoon full of soup in hand. _Sounds like slavery_ , she thinks.

"It is," he agrees sadly, opening his mouth as she hand feeds him. "I thought of accepting their offer you know?"

Reeling back, Kagome blinks at him, blowing softly on the shot soup. "Why?"

He huffs out a laugh that has him wheezing for breath. Kagome helps him, massaging his back and using her powers discretely to prod in his lungs. "Who—who do you think put me here, girl?" he chuckles, falling tiredly on the bed. He looks away, eye distant and unseeing as the bandage over his hurt eye darkens with blood. "Who knows where my family is now, because of me…"

"They separated you?"

He shakes his head, hissing in pain as Kagome prods with careful fingers around his eyes. "No, no. I did. I couldn't pay them back, so I had to leave them."

She frowns, "but what about your family?"

There's a dead look in his one good eye when he stares back at her. Kagome's heart twists at the sorrow in them, at the tears that fall down his cheeks. "I don't know," he looks away, closing his good eye. His bandage darkens, the blood spreading further. "I don't know."

•••

Kagome keeps her hair short, and tries to use her black ink sparingly. Finding a beanie near the University Hospital is the one highlight of September.

It's also the unfortunate day that she ends up meeting and escaping one of the three reigning _yakuza_ groups of Nashinari ward.

To be completely honest with herself, Kagome simply didn't know about the drug spots near _Haginochaya_ station. She had strayed far too close to the police station that night and panicked at seeing the male trio loitering on a street corner, grabbing a young girl by her hair.

She grabs a rock hidden in the inner sleeve of her kimono, securing the hood on her head before charging the pebble with power and throwing the thing with frightening accuracy through the man's wrist. The girl falls away from the man and scrambles on her feet, running away from them as the hand falls with a sickening splat on the floor. Blood pours out and paint the sidewalk as the man screams.

It brings back memories of her past.

The one who she just tore his hand off falls screaming to the ground while the other two turn and stare at her in horror. Kagome grabs another rock, holding it between two fingers as it glows bright pink. They scramble away while the other one passes out from pain and blood loss.

Kagome drags the remaining _yakuza_ to the police-friendly _Sakaume_ yakuza group, leaving him with a little note— and flees.

•••

"Kagome, have ye ever thought of going ta 3 Chome?"

Biting on her one day old _onigiri_ , Kagome looks at Takuya-san sitting on the park's ground beside her. They're on a break, the Shelter still buzzing with activity a few ways away. "No, it's bad news for girls," she swallows, not even cringing at the strange taste that she can't quite identify. "Why?" Kagome knows Takuya-san and knows that he isn't just making a lewd comment to get her under him. He has his own distaste for those businesses at 3 Chome Sanno.

He nods, pursing his lips before fixing his posture and turning to her. "My daughter always needs medical attention, ye know," he sighs, closing his in pains she can understand. His daughters followed him to the city, and as they grew, they had to find a way to make the ends meet. He lost one to the deceases already, his oldest one. "They all do, ye know? Specially with those _Yamaguchi_ roaming close again."

 _("The alternative isn't kind, girly.")_

The streets are never kind. And here, in Osaka, the easiest way for young girls on the streets is always to sell their bodies.

"I'll see what I can do," she smiles at him, eyes narrowing in thought. "Tell me more about these thugs bothering the girls."

•••

"You don't belong here," the woman spits at her as soon as she steps into the the 'restaurant'.

Kagome smiles serenely at her. "I don't." She turns away from the fuming woman to face Takuya-san's daughter, Kyoko, who is dressed in an anime character's outfit that reveals far too much of her body. She bows to the wary girl. "I'm Miko, your father sent me to make sure you are healthy."

Kyoko's distrust disappears as her eyes shine with gratitude, "You're that girl from the Shelter," she smiles tentatively and makes a calming gesture towards the older angry woman. "The miracle girl."

Kagome's lips twitch in faint amusement as she nods, kneeling beside the girl as the older woman closes the door to the streets at Kyoko's urging. "Yes, your father asked me to come here. He worries for you."

She smiles, and it's sad. "I'm all he has left." Kagome nods, knowing she has nothing to answer properly to that. Kyoko sighs, turning serious brown eyes to her. "What should I do?"

Kagome slips out of her torn gloves, "Just stay still," she looks at the older woman by the corner of her eye. "Go search for any other who needs a check up. As long as they are willing to keep silent, I won't ask for much more."

The woman nods, still very suspicious of her, leaving quickly.

Kagome touches two cold fingers to Kyoko's forehead and gets to work.

•••

It takes a total of a week for her to get back to the Shelter and her small shared territory with Takuya-san. Tired to her bones and feet sore as they had never been, Kagome feels only elation from knowing that she is, even if just a little bit, helping these people.

•••

In the past, hundreds of years ago in a different reality and time, Kagome walked throughout the entirety of Japan. Alongside friends and allies, hoping against all hope to defeat forces that were more powerful than she was skilled or prepared for, with trials of battle and heart. Kagome's feet had walked over almost every bit of the Land of the Rising Sun. With her out of time bike or on the back of InuYasha, she'd experienced her country at its rising start and most mystical state.

Now, dislocated to someplace that is both familiar and alien, Kagome has to persevere through conditions that, somehow, are more challenging than living in the wild could ever have been. There's laws, strict ones, to obey without questioning if she wishes to remain unknown. There's limits to what she can eat, because she must buy her sustainment. There's no wild hare for her to kin, skin and make a meal. There's no water stream or hot spring to use for a well deserved bath.

Kagome can't remember when was the last time she took a real bath. When she showered profusely, cleaning her hair and skin until she felt as light as air.

It's hard to live in a society where she can't defend herself without calling too much attention, where killing isn't the end of a skirmish or battle. Kagome can't resolve things with her bow and arrows, can't fight or trade to have her comfort. It takes a toll on her mind.

Kagome is tired. She lives in a ward, walking the streets, barely sleeping because, at any moment, she can can actually be removed from her sleeping place. She sticks close to a the Shelter, evades their prodding questions and helping hands so as to escape from offices and media and all they promise. She doesn't move more than two kilometers a week, and yet she is more tired than she has ever been.

When she wakes up one day with _yakuza_ thugs casually hanging out in front of her, Kagome cannot take enough energy to even get up on her feet. She looks up at them through half lidded eyes and waits. They take pity on her, or the taller and bigger one did, crouching down in front of her. Kagome notes that he has kind eyes.

"You're a brave little thing to mess with _Yamaguchi-gumi,_ " he tilts his head, a shadow of a smile on his lips. "Or should I say stupid?"

She can feel annoyance surging up its ugly head to throw her into a damn hell ditch because she should not be sassy with _yakuza_ who could most definitely throw her in an actual ditch and—"You're the stupid one if you came here to wake me up just so you can say I'm stupid to my stupid face, you _stupid_."

 _Well played, Kagome,_ she can hear _that_ man saying. She even pictures him laying on his side, one hand supporting his head as he smirked at her. _Now you're officially dead._ Because of course, she is, the only _yakuza_ she ever actually did something toward were those thugs on the drug spots near _Haginochaya_.

There's a moment where they stare at each other and Kagome is starting to gather her energy and distributing it all over her body while multiplying it to a gazillion in her legs, ready to jump over to the next skyscraper and beyond. Better yet, she's gonna kick _him_ and his thug friend over the closest skyscraper and beyond and then _get the hell outta here_ —

The man laughs.

He throws his head back, falls on his butt and laughs loud enough to have the few people walking on the street look at them. Of course, eyes are soon moving away at the sight of loose suits and the tattoos visible on their necks. Kagome is ready to ditch them for another part of the ward when he gets up on his feet.

"You've got spunk," he smirks down at her.

"And you're very cliché. I'm not gonna join your little boyband because I've got the—eh, spunk and you seem to like it." This all sounds ridiculously like a movie where the hero got friendly with _yakuza_ because he got _spunk_. Kagome is not falling into the _yakuza_ soap opera trap.

"And I don't wanna you to. You're from the Shelter, right?" Seeing that they aren't going to leave, but also aren't going to kidnap or kill her or worse, Kagome starts to fold her old mattress cover and her cardboard bed. Her beanie is firm over her head, covering blonde roots that are starting to show.

Kagome nods. "Yeah, I help them one day or another." She grabs her bag, putting the blanket inside and closing the the rusty thing. She's gonna need to either find another one or use her measly savings to get a new one. Or eat. Yay to the choices of the week…or month. "Gotta do my own stuff too." She puts her precious big cardboard under her arm and narrows her eyes at them. "What do you want?"

"You from Tokyo? You sound like it."

"What. Do. You. _Want._ "

The man huffs, putting his hands into his pant pockets and nodding at the other man, who had been silent through their whole exchange. "We're _Sakaume-gumi._ "

"Fuck."

The man wheezes again. "Yeah, fuck. But it's gonna be good, I promise." She cringes, and he cringes and then the other man slaps his own face and sighs in that same tone Sango did whenever Muroku spoke. "Eh, that—I mean. We're—We're not…" He sighs. "I just want to thank you. I mean, _we_ do."

 _Nope, perv alert._ "Not interested." The man dares to lay a hand on her arm and stop her from leaving. Kagome snaps her glare at him.

"It's not like that, miss!" She shakes away his hold and twists to look between the both of them. They sound sincere enough. There's also a very fancy car that been parked behind them since she woke up. So they also hadn't taken the chance to simply kidnapping her. Kagome meets his pleading gaze. "I—That girl, the one you saved!" Kagome remembers how she had ran outta there, because she was smart. Thing Kagome clearly doesn't share with her since she's not doing the same exact thing. "She's my sister. She wants to meet you. And the boss too! He's—well, he wants to thank you. And I do too." He sounds really desperate and really sincere and his soul is dark, it is. There's…bad things. He has killed. But so has she. "Please, come with us."

She sighs, and InuYasha's voice snaps angrily at her when she accepts.

 _You're too fucking trusting._

•••

"You're giving me a bike."

The boss only smiles serenely. "That man you brought to our door was one of our worst, eh, impertinences. Let's call him such. For bringing him to us, I think it's only fair I repay you." _He's dead,_ she thinks, dully. She doesn't allow the sentiment of dread show on her face, only fisting her hands on her lap.

"You also saved my sister!" The man from earlier chirps in unhelpfully. The boss doesn't even glance at the thug. And he's a low one, he's sitting way back. It's kind of sad, Kagome is forming a slight attachment to the strangely cheerful man. The smaller one, higher on the food chain, is sitting amongst the other ones that line both sides of the boss.

"So, no catch? You expect me to believe that?" She tries to sound cool like Miroku. Or extremely detached and disinterested like…that man. They don't see how she's trembling just a little bit. Or how her tongue is pressed against the roof of her mouth so hard it actually hurts a bit. Or how her fingernails, ragged and short, are pressing on her slowly roughening skin.

"Well," _there it is,_ Miroku's voice says. _The catch._ "We could offer you much more if you'd be willing to join—"

"No." This is final and she lets it be known in the tone of her voice.

He pauses, looking at her with all the calm of the world, like he is Buddha. Kagome wants to punch his face in. "In that case," he smiles, thin lips stretching over white teeth. "That's it."

It's tempting. It's goddam tempting and Kagome is salivating over the idea of having a bike. She can carry more things. Can actually start gathering some trash, aluminum and whatnots and exchange them for a few extra bucks. She can move through the whole city, can stop depending so much on only one place and still not waste all of her money on the train or bus. It's tempting because with it Kagome can stop limiting herself to only one Shelter. She could volunteer in other places, could spread her touch over the city and have a quick way of moving out.

A bike, a good one, is something it'd take a few more months, maybe a year, of investment.

They know it too, if they didn't, they wouldn't offer it. A homeless who wants to stay homeless is in wanting of food, shelter and transportation. That's her rule and that's what she thinks when she accompanies the old men into their morning sprints to get to the trash bags before the trash trucks. It's in how they spend so much on _sake_ and remain where they are, forgotten, alone.

She wants to stay like that, and these people know this.

She bows shallowly, "thank you for your gift."

The boss claps, closing his eyes and smiling wide. He gestures and men come from behind her carrying a beautiful new bike. "This model is quite resistant. If it ever breaks, please come help with fixing it—"

"Oh, come on—" Kagome whines, tired of his playing around. "You just said it was free of charge, and then you offer _more_ and, let me tell you, it still looks very shady."

He stops, tilting his head at her. He's calm. Everything about him is calculated. All of his words are said slowly, like he has all the time in the world and he doesn't care if she was in a hurry. He's meticulous in how he uses his hands to speak, how he expresses himself with smiles while his eyes remain laser focused on her. This man has power in his fingertip in a different way than she, than InuYasha and even Sesshomaru. It leaves her nervous. This is not something she has faced before. _This is my world, the modern world._

"What do you want, Miko?" And that's the key, isn't it? What does she want? What doe she fight for? What awaits for her after all this suffering? In Osaka, she drifts without goals, no sight of the future, no clue on how to get home. She has constant visions of nonsensical science and bald nomads staring at her in silence, nothing more. Still, the reason for why she left the safety of the strange family, the reason for why she wanted so desperately to remain far from them still remains.

 _I want to go home_.

But Kagome isn't sure what home is anymore. Is it trust? Security? Would she wish to return to where she was? With the Jewel, jailed into a void? Somewhere out of time and space but still within it? _This is not the time_ , she says to herself, hardening her heart.

"Get to the Shelter, get my meal of the day, and for you to stop fucking around," she leans forward, anger bursting out and lacing her words with poison as she puts her hands on the table between them. There's amazement in his eyes as the table slowly cracks under her slightly enhanced strength, with just a touch of spiritual power flowing through her muscles. "So, tell me the truth. Why did you call me here?"

He smiles like the cat that got the canary, satisfied. "I want you to help me rid this place of _Yamaguchi-gumi._ "

Kagome blinks. Stares at the man. He's looking back as complacent as ever, uncaring for the madness he just asked her to take part in. "Are you…" she frowns, opens her mouth. closes it and shakes her head. One hand rises so she could perhaps massage the headache that she is sure most be coming. "… _mad?_ "

He leans back, shrugging one shoulder. "Do I sound mad?"

" _Yes?_ " Kagome laughs, no joy in it. "Getting rid of the _Yamaguchi-gumi?_ You'd have to rid it from the world, and that''s—" she cackles, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Well, you have a hundred man, _they_ have around a hundred _armies_."

He remains smug in the face of her disbelief, dark eyes watching closely to her reaction as he pushes something across the table, leaving it directly in front of her. Kagome refuses to look down, even as he leans away, crossing his arms and looking down on her. She remains stubborn as he patiently waits. Finally, she looks down. A small pile of pebbles drenched in blood glares back at her.

The crunching noise of the smooth stone hitting its mark as she'd thrown at that thug the other night echoes in her mind. It's made all the more vividly by the bloodstained pieces of rock in front of her. She could picture it reaching his wrist, the impact shattering both the bone and the stone, enhanced speed and power making the pieces cut through the skin and muscle. This thing had been immersed in blood so profusely, all the pieces were painted rusty red.

"How much," his low whisper breaks the silence like a gunshot. "Can you destroy?" She grits her teeth, dread pooling at her the bottom of her stomach. "If a small thing like that cut some fellow's hand off, what can you do with a gun? A bomb?" His voice deepens, greed taking hold of his words and making her mouth taste bitter greed in the air. "And I only know that you threw a pebble at him. But, _Miko,_ " he leans closer, eyes wide, shining with sick want and weak empathy. "You can do so. Much. _More,_ " he nods his head when she purses her lips, denying his words with a shake of her own. "You can! You can help this community, Miko. Can you picture it?"

"No, I can't," Disgusted, Kagome gets on her feet and turns away from him. "Keep your bike, your privileges, and crazy plans. I'm no one's weapon—"

"No children would need to fear being taken from their mother's arms," she curses her kindness when that was all he needed to say for her to stop and listen to his poisonous words. "No family would be robbed of their hard earned money, no man would be thrown to the streets," faces of her friends from the Shelter, from the people who disappeared around her, who died by all the wrong reasons. So much that is bad around here lead to Yamaguchi. "No woman would fear the streets if they had a patron of theirs. A symbol to their dreams of peace."

She can hear him standing up, walking towards her. "The _Yamaguchi_ branch in this ward has caused enough harm. They have shaken up the balence of things," He puts a heavy hand on her shoulder, voice soft. "I can give you a gun and information, soon enough you, and me, together— we will conquer this city, Miko. All you gotta do," he leans close, his breath hot on the nape of her neck, "is say yes."

Kagome slaps his hand away, laughs in his face and marches out, bike in hand because he said it's hers anyway.

•••

Over two hundred people die on the streets every year, it is said.

Kagome cuts that number by half when December comes.

The girls from Senno get better, and they say many things to Kagome. Kagome finds more thugs in the night, loitering around them or the drugs spots or the train station. _Sakaume's_ proposal floats around in her head, tempting but ultimately ignored.

•••

The winter doesn't bring too much snow to the city. It's cold, but there's no snow, so she should be thankful, it's what her friends say.

It's still too cold for her three light layers of clothes and sneakers.

It pains her to tears to have to buy thicker boots and more clothes then the occasional underwear or shirt. She does it, and when they ask if she wishes to sell her _kimono —it'll be worth something—_ it's on the tip of her tongue to harshly agree to it and say good riddance to it.

She doesn't.

She can't.

•••

The New Year's celebration goes over her head as she stares down at a young girl and boy huddled against each other in an alleyway. They're a few streets away from a dangerous territory, _Yamaguchi_ territory, and they are cowering in fear. In the distance, police sirens sing along with the cheer for a new year. They are passing by a _Yamaguchi_ office down the street, not knowing what it holds.

 _Yamaguchi-gumi_ seems to have been using his victims to something more than trafficking, if the stitches, blood, bald heads full of precise scarring and ratty hospital scrubs are saying something.

A batch must have been lost, Kagome notes, numbly.

She kneels, letting her power bloom prettily on her hand and illuminate the dark alley. "You guys seem pretty scared…"

The older one, a girl, maybe, — they both have shaved heads — pushes the other child behind her with a flinch, trembling all over but standing firm between Kagome and the younger one. It's a blow to her heart, it reminds her of the past, of the things she hated of the ancient era. Thin wrists and thinner arms shake as she crosses them in front of her. There's fear like the dying children of an age long gone, of mutilated young bodies asking for mercy. Hungered souls that wanted for anything to replenish themselves, for a blanket of protection that went undone by war and pillage.

Their gaunt faces are overlaid with hundreds of others Kagome had seen in the past. Visions of terror that belong in the books, to warn the generations to come to never sink so low. It's haunting to face them here, in the future still. It makes hate burn hotly in her chest for the _monster_ that made this to them and others.

There's an incision on the girl's arm, and blood splatters to the dark ground and stains white skin that is turning too pale by the minute. Their legs are splattered with piss and blood and worse. Kagome thinks the little one hiding behind this scrap of a girl is missing an ear and an eye.

"Stay back," the little girl's voice is out of breath. As if she can't pull air into her lungs, as if struggling for her last breath.

"I can help," Kagome surges forward, slowly, as to not scare the poor little ones. Her bike hits the floor with a screech that makes the children fall back on the ground and scramble further away from her. Kagome raises her hands in the air, heart beating loudly in her chest. "It's ok, that's my bike being loud. No one is gonna hurt you guys. I'm sorry, I should've been more careful. Silly me, right?" Her weak smile does nothing to calm them down. The little one clutches to the girl with wide eyes filled with a sheen of tears, and the girl is shaking like a leaf, clutching him close to her.

Kagome crawls slowly next to them, hands glowing a bright pink that catches their attention. She sees the hidden awe behind their wariness. "It's okay, it's okay," her hand inches towards them, her fingers itching to heal their broken skin. "I can help you."

Chilled fingers reach skin that does not feel right. It's like holding energy with her hands, like having a powered arrow in her grasp. Kagome's eyes widen when her powers don't seep into the girl's body, but envelops her. Her tiny being is embraced in light pink, blood and gashes falling away along with the hospital gown. Hair sprouts from her head, black as night, sleek and pretty as a cute kimono substitutes the rags. It bleeds into the little one, who looks healthy and whole and happy as the girl suddenly does.

Their bodies are not solid anymore. They are fleeting images, strong but barely there. Lighted in pure pink as they smile at her, something like 'thank you' in their young eyes. The children — _their souls_ — fade away in particles of stardust, glinting prettily in the night, rising up to the sky.

Kagome falls on the cold floor, gasping for air as she stares at the spot she could _swear_ two young children had been. It breaks her heart when it finally dawns on her that she hadn't healed their bodies — she'd purified their souls.

•••

Kagome looks in the eye of a man she shouldn't trust and finally decides to take the bullet if only to save those poor souls. She looks right into his black eyes and says "I accept."

•••

 **A/N:** all those places are real, all routes are real. all facts about homelessness in japan. i researched a lot for this. i now know drug spots on Nashinari ward and shit (unless they changed but shhhh for the sake of the story leave it beeeee). i made up the net cafe in Shimoda though. internet says it doesn't exist i say fuck it it's a rising business. i also made up the Yamaguchi-Sakaume fight thing going on. yamaguchi group is a little different in this universe for kagome's sake because she needs it. any guesses as to why?

i'm so behind the schedule you guys t-t i've been to hospital, traveled, and stepmom is preparing for cirurgy so we all scrambling to help and classes begun and this is the only day i actually have been at home for more than a hour or to sleep.

i still edited this cause my heart can't bare to post it without editin. now, this note here is free terrain i can go nuts no comas and shit. i gotta go sleep, have work tomorrow.

also, on a scale of one to 9000 how much kagome is hurting and bottiling up?

did you catch how she's developing her powers? gotta make up for what canon didn't do.

this chapter are full of ocs cause lol, is anyone gonna be relevant? how?

how will kagome perform in this deal she entered? how will it affect her? tell me your ideas for this story, let's see who gets what i'm going for orrrr does it better lolololol

good night

~Mari


	5. Hurricane

_Sakaume_ brings her to a warehouse far away from the busy city, far enough that no one will come looking if they end up being too loud. The air is stale, the cold something that faintly reminds her of the last winter she spent in the wild. Waiting in the warehouse is an old woman who calls herself Sakuya and watches her through clearly untrusting eyes. There's scorn to each look directed at her, but Kagome doesn't focus on that.

Instead, she turns her eyes to the displayed firearms, small and big, all neatly organized on the back of her truck. The _yakuza_ men are quick to flock around her and her goods, while Kagome and their boss remain behind. Her eyes watch their backs, watch as they point at her and introduce her to the woman. She ignores the scorn coming from her, turning to face the far end of the warehouse.

There are targets spread in front of her at various distances. Stationary ones with the shape of a human being, another round, smaller ones tied to the ceiling beams by thick ropes. It's spacious, too much so. Kagome wants to grab her bike and leave, feeling like she is dirtier than ever before for standing close to the _yakuza_ group.

"Miko-san!" A familiar voice cuts through her inner musings. Kagome turns to face the man who first brought her into this situation, he and his sister grinning at her as he presents her with a wickedly gleaming pistol. "I think this one suits you."

Kagome strains a smile in response, warily studying the offered gun with her eyes and digging her gloved hands deeper into her hoodie's pockets. "Did you bring what I asked?" she directs her gaze to the watchful leader of their group, who answers with a smile, nodding his head to Sakuya. The older woman scowls before rummaging through her truck. She takes a bow, rattly and old, along with a few arrows before marching to them.

She thrusts the ancient weapon into her hands without care. "Useless," she says, crossing her arms. "You must be crazy to even think of going in there with this sort of weapon." Grinding her jaw, Kagome looks down at the quiver and old bow. Her fingers trace the wood, fingernails scratched at the worn grip. Attaching the quiver to her hip with the belt, Kagome takes two steps forward, smoothly falling into position as she grabs two arrows.

Notching one, Kagome falls into a familiar position. She still needs that second of hesitation, that second of doubt where she must hold her breath and _look_ at her target. It's so unlike Kikyou, who'd would draw, notch and shoot, and, in the end, didn't even need an actual physical arrow to hit as her spiritual energy coalesced into a pure sacred arrow.

Kagome breathes, muscles straining after one year without touching a bow. Her fingers itch at the unpleasant and unfamiliar feeling of this bow, at the sleek arrow she holds. It's not familiar, she's not in the past and these are not her weapons. "You — wanted to know," she bits her lower lip, arms shaking just a bit. The tip of the arrow wavering. "What—what I could do." She breathes in, breathes out. _Let go,_ she wills herself.

 _Hit the mark._

The pink comet sails through the air, leaving a trail of dust as it whips past the targets. The energy loosely held within the arrow pushes the targets it passes by, hitting the ground and exploding.

The boom is astounding, taking her back to another time and truer battles. Kagome gasps for air, eyes wide as she stares ahead and her hair is blown back. The dust settles, revealing a recked field, the path of a meteor made true by her hands and will cutting through it. Her fingers itch, her eyes sting. Her muscles strain for more. Adrenaline rises as she settles her eyes onto a surviving human-shaped target in the distance.

She takes a step forward, notching the arrow as it lights up brightly. The energy concentrates on the tip just as it leaves her bow. Its path is certain, its destruction much lesser than the previous. There's control reminiscent of her past as it sails smoothly through the air and hits its mark. The target absorbs the energy, expanding into a silent explosion and dissolving into ashes.

It all happens in less than a second. Kagome doesn't have time to even think before her hand goes down, draws two more arrows and _fires._

One after another, more tightly loaded with energy, surer in its destructions. She hits each target, more surely than the previous one. They are destroyed in different ways that she can't quite control. Dissolved to ashes, pushed back, thrown away or torn apart; Kagome has no finesse to this well of power she had never had full access to.

Finally, there comes the moment where she goes for another arrow but stops; the quiver is empty.

Blinking, Kagome feels like she's slipping out of a trance. Her vision expands where it was narrow before. She sees more than just her target, more than just her goal. The battlefield turns back into the shooting range, its floor destroyed and scorched and it's walls destroyed. Wood, rope and whatever else managed to survive her attack is littered over the expanse of the room.

"There must be a limit," she hears the trembling voice of Sakuya-san coming from behind her. "There must be a limit for what you can destroy."

Kagome feels her giddy power beneath her skin, ready to be used at any given moment. There's sweat on her brow and a strain to her arms and shoulders, but the cool breeze coming from the giant holes she put into the structure soon cool her down while the strain fades on the wake of her own healing.

Kagome doesn't answer, because she doesn't know if it's something either of them wants to know.

•••

"Here," Sakuya-san lays out the firearms on a table facing their new shooting range. Kagome eyes each of the alien pieces of metal with wariness.

"I've shown you; I don't need it."

The woman narrows her eyes at her, tilting her head in a slow and dangerous move that makes Kagome take a step back. "Do you have money to keep your useless supply of arrows?" Kagome shakes her head, dread pooling in her stomach. "Can you afford to make arrows? To maintain a bow?" Gritting her teeth, Kagome looks down, turning her body away from the _yakuza_ and shaking her head.

"I can't afford to eat more than once a day," she answers, bitterness burning strong in her.

Maybe Sakuya-san hadn't been expecting her to answer, maybe she doesn't even know Kagome had been plucked from the streets with nothing but the clothes on her body and the bag on her pack. Whatever it is, she pauses, her soul twirls around and into her, a humming sound only there for Kagome to hear that says much without meaning anything.

"…then, you'll use the supply we can afford," and she pushes a pistol in her hands.

•••

"How many people have you killed?" Sakuya-san is a strict woman with a mean mouth and meaner personality. Kagome is not fond of her teaching methods.

 _There's no fucking way I can actually shoot a needle._

She takes a moment to think back on _youkai_ and humans and so many other beings that she faced in her short life. She thinks of their bodies disintegrating or blood pouring out of their wounds; all lives that were gone because of her. "Some," she says quietly, focusing on hitting both the needle and the bulk of a target a couple of meters behind it.

" _Some,_ and you're quite good at mutilating _some_ , too, I guess" Sakuya huffs. Kagome frowns, the memory of the police officer being hit by the reinforced telephone going to the forefront of her mind, the sickening sound of breaking bones and his body hitting the wall and falling to the floor. She remembers the arch of the blood pouring out of the stump of that thug, how his scream echoed in the night and how he begged for his life, delusional from blood loss as she dragged him all the way to Sakaume's office. _Not now, focus._ "And you call yourself _Miko_."

Kagome thinks of her sacred arrows. How they flew through the air, shining bright with spiritual power that seems to never end, destroying everything she wills them to as they flew by. Armies falling in the wake of her power, arrows that could pierce through just about anything, that could destroy so completely and irreversibly.

She thinks about how easy it is to just—charge something with her power like an extension of herself and _destroy_. It's easy to imagine the bullet residing inside this modern weapon in her hands, to imagine it overflowing with ethereal energy as it — _she_ — pierces through the target, exploding everything around it as she wills it.

It's a power that has been wielded by many, graciously, carefully. Cultivated for millennia to reach a point of sanctity. Kagome thinks of how the priestesses before her used their gifts, of the careful words and spells and ways that she had never and could never know now. They saved people, they healed and blessed them with an efficiency that matched their holy duty, while Kagome barely knew how to shoot an arrow.

Stumbling about, destroying and killing, does she deserve to be granted such a title? To be called a priestess? She prays for no god, she prays no more. Is she any different than Tsubaki, on the path to becoming a dark priestess, to wreak havoc and control those around her to her will using a bastardized version of the sacred rites?

Kagome cannot know, all she knows about herself is that she is a priestess and has the powers to prove it. It's the only thing that is truly hers now.

She fires at the needle, missing it but hitting the far edge of the target.

"Your aim is a disgrace. Again!"

•••

They give her weapons, they teach her battle, they give her attire suited to survive this insanity.

They ready her to become a weapon.

Kagome swears to not became _their_ weapon and is sure to remind them with each glare of hers, each fist that glows hot pink.

•••

"Again _._ "

Growling, Kagome throws herself at the woman, fist raised in defiance and firing it up with her powers. Sakuya-san redirects her punch with only a touch of her hand to the sidearm. It burns and pushes her away from Kagome, and it saves her life as Kagome's fists hit the ground and leave a small crater into it.

Sakuya rolls and jumps back up, arms poised to defend herself and watching emotionlessly as Kagome gasps for air, chest expanding rapidly and sweat dripping down her form. "You need to know how to punch," she approaches Kagome's hunched over form and, quicker than Kagome expected it, kicks her hard on the stomach. "How to kick," she grabs Kagome's ponytail and brings her face to her knee. "How to fight." Kagome screeches at the pain of having her nose broken, again.

She falls face first on the ground, gasping in pain and crying as she curls into a ball. "Being strong is not enough. Being capable of doing what you do is nothing if you can't bring your opponent down when they get to you. And they _will._ "

Sakuya-san rounds up toward her again as her body heals itself. Kagome hears her steps, senses her approach. She crawls away in fear. "You can shoot your pretty arrow and take down ten in front of you," her foot descends on Kagome's back. "You can heal from a shot on the back," Kagome screams as she steps on her and grabs her ponytail again — _you should cut your hair only the strong keep it long you're not strong you're not_ ** _strong_** — and pulls her head back. Kagome looks up into the face of cruelty, into the uncaring eyes of the woman who is preparing her to fight. "But the pain will bring you down."

Kagome snarls at her, struggling in her hard grip before screaming to the skies.

•••

"You are not ready," Sakuya-san warns her.

Kagome walks away, gun in hand and the faces of dead children, torn families and crying mothers haunting her mind.

•••

Kagome takes the telephone from her ear, taking out the SIM card as she was taught and breaking it before looking ahead.

She stands exactly where she had that night when she found the children's souls.

There's a silent song in the air. The drums of battle following the beat of her heart, the rhythm of life flowing through her veins. On the other side of the alleyway stands the Yamaguchi facility she had ignored that day, sheltered by the blanket of night and the weight of their name. The high windows show nothing but fogged glass, faint light cutting through the night, faintly illuminating the street.

Two thugs rest against the entrance's wall, talking quietly to each other, secure of their safety and leaving themselves open, exposed. Unseen by them, standing before the heavy door that locked away their dirty secrets, is a child. Kagome looks at the ghost with a heavy gaze. Their empty eye sockets are pointed at her, their skin deathly white and their head shaved clean. There's a wound that goes around their head like a macabre circlet, their hospital gown is light and dirtied.

The two men remain ignorant of the soul standing between them. The child turns their back on Kagome, walking through the door and into the old fabric. Kagome takes a deep breath, wonders if she should follow.

She remembers the children. The people at the shelter. The girls at Senno.

The rumors.

Powers pumps through her veins, lights her skin ablaze and allows her to jump high — _soaring through the air, InuYasha's steady hands holding her, Kirara's warmth flying beside them, the treetops beneath their feet and the clouds close enough to touch—_ and lands between the two of them with legs still concentrated with energy, protecting her from the impact while destroying the pavement beneath her feet. Kagome slaps one across the street while the other's fist connects to the back of her head and makes her stumble for a moment.

She twists and kicks him, her feet heavy with the combat boots she had been given. There's the loud sound of ribs cracking and Kagome spies his chest giving in with panicked eyes before harshly turning away and kicking the door open. Already, she's gasping for air, slightly crazed as she stumbles in. Three are already poised to shoot her. Kagome's body explodes with pink energy so, when she runs, she's fast enough to whip past them before they shoot. Kagome's chest contracts and her eyes feel dry and horrible, but she grabs her semi-automatic from its holster, aims, and shoots a bastardized version of a holy arrow at the door.

The energy it emits as it passes pushes them into the walls of the long entrance corridor. They hit and fall unconscious to the floor. Kagome gasps, blinking, eyes wide and lower lip shaking. Again, she doubts herself, but it last less than a moment as more men come from the corridor from her left. A bullet whizzes past her and another grazes her cheek before she shoots at them, one bullet enough to stop them but, this time, it tears some limbs apart.

Blood paints the corridor red, and Kagome remembers the blood staining the souls' little bodies, the scars littering over their young skin. Hardening her heart, Kagome calms her breath and rightens her posture. Her grip tightens on her weapon and she closes her eyes, expanding her senses. It used to be so hard, something so complicated to pick up on the signatures of humans, beings so similar to herself. Now, it's as simple as breathing. They are alien to her like _youkai_ once were.

She pinpoints them, senses the ones approaching from behind and beyond. She has no means to know who was in this building or the ones neighboring it, but the amassing of young souls in one particular direction is telling enough.

Snapping her eyes open, she turns around, one hand extending with the nuzzle facing the other corridor heading to the right. The bullet is charged pink and passes through just as men turn on the corner.

Kagome enhances her body, squares her shoulders and soldiers on.

•••

It's a lab.

They are held in cages or simply too weak to get up from their resting places. All of them are weak, all of them are bald. All of them are scarred and bloodied and scared and _so so young._ Kagome cannot tell who is alive and who is dead, save for a few odd ones with gaping holes in their bodies or missing eyes. They look at her, those who can, seeing her black clothing and weaponry, —she's loaded with guns upon guns and magazines and everything she could need— flinching in fear.

There are caretakers spread around that stop to look at her in confusion.

Kagome presses her lips in one thin line before stepping forward. Finally, they notice she's not with them, that she's unfamiliar and carries none of their markings — _their branding_ — and scramble to fire at her. Kagome doesn't stop. "HIDE!" she screams to the children, who scramble to move away from her path. The caretakers—no. The _scientists_ , with their lab coats and medical instruments, back away from her. Two try to fight her. Kagome's skin lights pink as she stops one from punching her. She's surprised the woman actually makes her move an inch back before she throws her to the nearest wall. She punches the next one square on his jaw and he goes tumbling down like a fly.

One of them scrambles to a panel on the other side. Kagome pulls the trigger but it just clicks. Acting quickly, she pulls out the bow they gave her — _for emergencies, Miko, don't depend on it_ — along with an arrow. Already, its tip is blazing pink and Kagome has actual no effort to pull draw, the modern mechanics of the strange bow facilitating her movement. The arrow cuts through the air and hits the screen of the panel, a resounding boom blowing up the whole system and shattering the glass onto the scientist.

The released energy spreads over the room like a wave, touching each soul, each ghost. They glow with life that goes by unnoticed by all but her. Finally, peace is within their reach, their past cleansed, their lives ended. They fade into the same stardust those two kids in that dirty alleyway did, peacefully and beautifully. Those particles of energy are noticed, they spread a feeling of warmth that even calms her beating heart.

People look at her wide-eyed, scared, in awe. The children have a tentative hope in their eyes while the scientists look on with something she knows is greed. The same one in Sakaume's eyes, but heightened.

She squares her shoulders, pulling down the overpriced bow in her hands. "Remain where you are. Police shall soon arrive." And as soon as she said it, they come. Pouring into the room from the wide-open double doors, they stop to stare at the obviously beaten down children, the facility and their state. The cages and the adults wearing the coats and their instruments. The indoor windows on one side that show operation rooms.

Finally, they settle on her figure. Hooded, heavily armed and dressed in black.

Kagome turns to them, breathing heavily through the black vogmask covering the lower portion of her face. Confident that the victims are in better hands now, Kagome nods at them. Stepping back, she uses a second to gaze at the children looking on with wide eyes and jumps high towards the high windows. She grabs on a windowsill, her boots scraping on the exposed brick wall before she barrels through the glass and rolls down the roof.

Shouts come from where she left, but Kagome doesn't look back. Her plan now is to escape. She managed to bring to attention one Yamaguchi hide-out. It's not the only one in the ward, and she can't afford to get caught when she has barely begun to take them out.

•••

Sitting atop one of the highest buildings in the ward, Kagome breathes, alone.

The sunrise is beautiful from up here.

•••

 _"Today, Japan awakes to horrifying discoveries. Yesterday, around one A.M., on Nishinari ward, Osaka, an anonymous individual reported criminal activities related to the disappearance of children in the last year. The police at first hesitated to answer the call, but not five minutes later they were bombarded with calls reporting gunfight in the same location. Arriving there, they made a disturbing discovery: the old factory was being used for human experimentation, targeting exclusively the development of children of varying ages._

 _"The facility was confirmed upon interrogation to have a connection to yakuza group Yamaguchi. All members present at the location were incapacitated before the arrival of the police, being taken down by an anonymous individual suspected to be the original caller. They escaped after policy's arrival, after taking out all of the agents of the criminal group in the building. The children's conditions are unknown for now, but it's believed their numbers reach around two hundred."_

•••

She takes out ten _Yamaguchi_ groups loitering around Senno in one month.

They are littered with souls, reeking of death and despair. Elders, women, men, children, babies…They are filled with people. People who won't be missed, who owed things. The faces she meets are familiar ones, from the Shelter, from the Streets. Kagome founds bodies and faces she knew.

She finds old lady Amaya's soul. Defiled, destroyed...

Kagome found the Takumi-camps.

•••

Each facility is protected by a small army of thugs. They are altered, some of them. Stronger, faster. They show the results to their experimentation. They fight against her, they protect the place. It escalates to the point where they set fire to the base, activate explosives and go to great lengths to keep her out.

Kagome takes out each one, one by one.

•••

They know it's her.

The people.

Because; the same way she recognized them, they did her.

•••

 _Yamaguchi's_ boss is in the area looking for Miko, it's said.

•••

Walking through the busy nightlife of Nishinari ward, Kagome is recognized. Where before, but a few months back, she was nothing more than another nameless face walking these dangerous streets, now she's their savior, their secret messiah. Miko, they call adoringly, passing her on the streets, happy that their lives are now easier for the blood that now stains her hands. Not that it fazes her; Kagome had lived through more violence than any of them could have ever imagined, had cringed from death and gore until tiring and just accepting it as a constant in her life.

The street is full of life despite its slight rundown appearance, at least in comparison to Tokyo or the better wards of Osaka. It's absolutely disgusting when compared to small city Ito and smaller still Shimoda. The people are bundled up and dirtied, greeting her warily as she walks among them. She ignores the fear they feel for her, focusing on the appreciation and gratitude underneath. Sometimes she can picture she's somewhere else, among people who know her truly, as Kagome Higurashi, student or Shikon Miko.

It's a lie that soon fades away as she looks around, noting that she's surrounded not by villagers that one day would form her homeland nor by family or neighbors or school friends. She's not in Edo or Tokyo. Around, there are only strangers.

Disheartening, perhaps, but something she has learnt the hard way to accept. There's no easy way of going back. There's no magical, unexplained solution that shall happen because Kikyou once did a spell, or Kaede had just the right artifact or her grandpa just the right advice.

A family of three walks by her, an old man and two small children. Maybe he's their old uncle, maybe he's their grandparent or their old father. Maybe a trusted friend or a kind stranger helping them find their way back home. There are other titles she could give him, darker ones that are easy to find in these areas, but Kagome doesn't wish to think so badly of such a pure and happy trio.

It's in this second, this short second of contemplation, that she sets her sight upon them.

There's a group of men on the other end of the street, guns directed at her the second she's in full view. Kagome jumps behind a car to avoid the lightning fast bullets. The busy street is soon alight with fear, screams, and gunshots as people hastily enter their shops and homes. Bodies fall. There's a promise in the air — _people shall die tonight —_ that is so acutely like the past Kagome thinks for a moment she's five hundred years back.

Waiting for the gunshots to stop briefly as she loads her gun and switches the safety off, she looks over the corner of the car. A young boy slams into the side of the quiet leader, one of his thugs grabbing the poor boy by his neck. He throws the boy to the street and shoots twice on the pavement between his legs.

Kagome does not fucking hesitate.

She steps out onto the street, gun ready and aimed directly at the boy's assailant. She fires once and misses, but they all duck down and search for cover as the boy scrambles away. Cursing, she whips behind a food cart as more shots fly around her, one scraping her leg by little. Hissing in pain, she readies her gun and breathes out. She closes her eyes and concentrates, pulls in whatever wits she has and gets them to work for a solution.

She can sense their presence, their souls, all spread evenly behind her. Beside her head, a bullet snaps through the food cart's fragile cover. Kagome doesn't flinch, already knowing who shot it so close to her head. The thug is by the sidewalk, closest to her. Kagome holds the gun in one hand, grabbing the metal cart with glowing pink fingers and throwing it on the car he is hiding behind.

It's enough of a diversion, and two scramble away from her as it hits the one who shot her. Bullets fly again and miss her body as she jumps over the car, aims the nuzzle to the other side of the street. Energy blooms and lights the gun ablaze, flowing through metal like blood through veins. All of it is absorbed by the small bullet and— " _hit the mark."_

The path it takes to reach its goal leaves behind only destruction, hitting home with a deafening boom. Kagome flies back into the shopping window of a store, slamming into mannequins. The car she shot at explodes outwards, dissipating like demons once did to her arrows. The men near it are burnt by the pulsing energy lashing outwards, some losing members and falling with painful screams, others fall silently to the ground and the last few are blown back like Kagome herself.

Blood and debris spoil what was just a peaceful scene — _seconds, seconds, all it took was a few seconds and one hit_ — and all it took from Kagome was one bullet filled with her spiritual energy. Spiritual energy could interact with plains beyond her imagination, it could destroy physically, mentally and spiritually.

Kagome had never let loose such arrows of destruction so brazenly and with so much violence. She kneeled on the ground, blinking owlishly at the crater on the other side of the street. The firearm is held loosely in one hand, her finger resting softly against the trigger. She feels the tips of her hair caress her collarbone, and numbly she realizes her beanie is gone and her hood is down.

Footsteps make her react on instinct, holding the gun and firing at whatever had been heading towards her. The boy she just saved stares at her with wide eyes as the bullet cuts his chubby cheek, almost taking his life.

Behind him, Kagome sees the remaining thugs running into a small alley as the police sirens scream through the dead silence of the night. Screams echo, life pours down onto the pavement as blood drips down the boy's cheek. He doesn't shake in fear, he doesn't flinch in pain. His hand reaches for his wound, touching the wet skin and bringing his red stained fingers down to blink confusedly at.

The weapon falls to the ground, Kagome lets it drop from her shaking hands as if it burned.

The street is illuminated by red and blue that is haunting, hurting her vision and shaping reality with visions she thought gone. Her world shifts again, whispers behind her ear startling her. Police officers scream "put your arms where we can see!"

She runs.

•••

 _Yamaguchi-gumi_ declares war against Miko. They say she owes them for each every one of the members she took out, by either death, mutilation or arrest.

People stay clear of her. They are scared and they turn their back on her. She brings trouble and problems as much as she brought fortune and luck. Many are ridden with decease, hunger and poverty, and her good fortune isn't enough when she pits herself and the community against the biggest crime organization in the world.

She understands, she truly does, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt when the Shelter denies her entrance. It doesn't mean she doesn't cry early morning, too tired to properly ride her bike because she had to spend three days awake on the cold streets. It doesn't mean her stomach stops growling in hunger.

It doesn't mean her blood doesn't boil in, in—

Betrayal? Anger? Rage? Bloodlust? Fear?

…

Loneliness?

•••

When she gets to _Sakaume-gumi_ 's office, waiting at the door are the two siblings who first brought her to this situation. Kagome never asked their names. They stare at her in silence as she parks her bike and enters the building. She walks through the halls she had visited a few times. It's silent and dark, there's no buzzing of constant work. Standing before his door, Kagome feels doom.

Entering the office is like _deja vú_. He's sitting sideways on the low table in the middle of the office, alone as he watches the TV. The image displays a reporter speaking to the camera, interviewing a young boy with chubby cheeks she remembers from one day past.

 _"Miko-san was helping us. She really was! But—I spooked her. She was very scared."_ The boy looks down, and Kagome wants to cry when the white bandage on his chubby cheek stains with red. He had opened his wound. He had needed _stitches_. _"The yakuza ran away because of me."_

 _"The criminal now known as Miko has been acting on Nishinari ward, Osako, for about three months now, yet none of its residents have reported her whereabouts or appearance to the authorities. Why did the Nishinari community kept quiet and remains so about her identity and location?_ "

 _"Because she's not a criminal! She helped my grandpa, so she's can't be evil,_ " he looks at the camera, eyes piercing. She calls him a boy but, truly, is he any older than her original body? Brave young man he is, he takes the reporter's microphone, looking into the camera with fierce eyes. _"Miko-san, please, run! We are grateful for your help, but don't let them—hey, give it back!"_ The camera is cut to the news channel anchor, who chuckles in amazement and proceeds to comment about the situation with the other reporters present.

 _"Oi, oi, this boy is truly brave but quite naive. Wasn't this Miko criminal who nearly shot his face?"_

 _"Miko thinks herself a vigilante. She's taking advantage of the Avenger's fever that has taken over the world. That's the only possible explanation for such blatant loyalty on the part her poor victims."_

 _"A shame to our country, truly. It's been reported that the now widely sought out Miko is a recipient of unknown strength and power. All of the yakuza she brutalized on the past months have confirmed that she uses some kind of powers to make projectiles as simple as pebbles as lethal as bullets and her fists as strong as a hundred men. The weapon found on the crime scene where five yakuza were blasted to death has been identified and connected to another yakuza office that has been quite inoffensive for years. Authorities promise to dig further into their connection to this rising vigilante and the human experimentation ring as well as the main factor for a possible gang war—"_ The woman is cut short as the television is turned off. Kagome stares at the black screen, unseeing and unfeeling. Silence reigns heavy, loud in her ears. Enough to drown out the fear growing in her heart like a weed, poisoning her thoughts and taken hold of her limbs.

"Sit," Kagome doesn't feel shame in obeying the command. It's not out of submission. If she remained standing, she'd fall to her knees. Kagome does not turn her eyes down, does not shrink into her self. She meets his glare evenly, hands shaking in her lap but with defiance in her eyes. "You left the gun behind."

Kagome remembers the cold splitting through her cotton gloves and the relief of having its weight gone. "I did." Her answer mirrors another's from not a few months back. Their eyes meet, and she refuses to flinch at the fury sketched in his features. He grinds his jaw, turning to face her fully and dragging a folder towards her side of the table.

Kagome hesitates to take it, but grabs it quickly and opens it and to see fake ID's, passports and everything she'd need for a successful escape. She reads it with a half a mind—

The name written there is like an arrow to her throat. It's like choking on her own blood, suffocated by the very thing that keeps her alive. It's air that is unreachable, happiness that is impossible. Kagome Higurashi is a name that does not belong to the face she wears or the life she breathes.

"The—the name…" She gulps, blinking away tears.

"It's easy enough to connect the dots when you look closely," he nods at her. "That bastard Higurashi seemed to be quite fond of you." Kagome bits her tongue to keep herself from gasping. "Think of this as a gift."

She purses her lips, twirling the ID between two fingers and holding it for him to see. "Kagome Higurashi is way too risky." _It's my name, my name, my name,_ her heart sings. She scoffs at the elation, knowing it's useless to remain attached to this name in her current situation.

"You took the risk when you accepted my offer," he leans back, one hand remaining on the table as he drummed his fingers over the surface. "You pissed me off when you fucking exploded a crater in the street and left evidence behind connecting you to _my office_."

Punishment, then, more than a proper gift. Kagome clenches her jaw, nodding. She'd make another way out. She would find a way. "So now what?"

He stares hard at her for a long moment, letting dread build in the air before leaning closer.

"Now you _run_."

•••

Kagome leaves Nishinari ward in a hurry, heading for the port.

•••

Kagome isn't strong enough to react when they grab her by her hair while she sleeps, dragging her through the busy night streets from her little sleeping corner in a shitty alleyway.

It's all too sudden. She hadn't been expecting them to find her. They do it with no warning, she only feels the sharp pain in her scalp and the despair of seeing her cardboard mattress and old comforter thrown around. Men she does not know grab her bag while others kick her bike. The pavement tears at her clothes as they drag her out on the street. People get out of the way, but no one dares to help.

Kagome kicks and screams and digs her feet into the pavement. Her body glows in pink, muscles and bones enhanced by pure energy. She grabs the wrist of the one who is holding her hair and—

Shock.

Kagome screams, writhing in pain as someone shoots a beam of energy at her. It's a dirty terrible thing in tainted blue. Kagome's body absorbs it, pink turning purple as energy cradles over her skin. She stares blindly up at the sky as they return to drag her out of the street, throwing her spasming body into the back of a van.

She scrambles to sit up, twitching involuntarily and gasping for breath when they shoot her again.

Reality shifts as she blacks out, taken somewhere else.

•••

"Wake up!" A terrible pain blooms on her cheek as a snap echoes in the room and Kagome gasp awake. There's a blinding light pointed at her face that makes her squint her eyes uncomfortably, trying to take a bearing of her location. A young man with a white lab coat stands close, his features hidden in the shadow created by the light shining behind him.

"Interesting," he tilts his head. "We can easily keep you asleep with the same amount of drugs as an ordinary young female human would need. So it's not defending you from foreign substances?" Kagome ignores his babbling, trying to look around for a way to get the fuck out.

Something glinting on the tall desk beside him catches her attention. Kagome focus on it, making out the rows of shining cirurgical instruments. Dread settles heavy in her stomach as the light is dimmed down enough for her to look at the young man. She watches as long white fingers fiddle with a clean scalpel, testing its blade with the tip of his finger. Their eyes meet, his mouth forming a comforting smile even as his eyes leer at her.

Spiritual energy floods her arms and legs, enhanced strength tearing her limbs from the restraints tying her to a metal chair. Kagome launches herself at him even as chaos rise around the room. She collides with his body, making him fly to the wall, hitting it with a sickening crunch and a splatter of blood.

The room shines with blue energy as something hits her on the back. Kagome staggers forward, screaming in pain as her muscles spasm. Her powers flare brighter, burning inside of her. Another shot of that terrible blue thing hits her from her front, making her stumble back. Another comes from her sides. They shoot her down until she falls to the ground, shaking badly with her eyes rolled back into her head and her mouth frothing, barely alive.

•••

Cold and despair wake her when they put her head into a basket of water. Kagome screams, bubbles of air coming out of her mouth and rising up. She can't see anything, can feel the water entering her nostrils and there's no air and even as her powers flare to life she can't purify this and _oh gods she's gonna die—_

"You can transfer your energy into any substance then," sweet sound returns to her, joined by her breathless screams.

Air, precious air, enters her lungs as she coughs out water. They pull her back, the weight of the heavy cuffs around her hands pulling her to the floor. She coughs, water spilling out her mouth as she attempts to crawl away. She bumps into a pair of legs, moving her face up and meeting brown cold eyes. A lab coat adorns the woman's body too, a clipboard in hand. The metal around Kagome's hands heats up, flaming pink fire illuminates the woman's face as Kagome brings it down on her legs legs. She breaks away from its confinement with a battle scream. Slim fingers curl into fists as she attempts to fight away.

She's shot down again.

•••

"At first glance, we theorized her energy enhances her body, allowing for super strength and healing properties," Kagome hears them speak through the daze of the drugs they put in her body.

 _("It could be a self-defense mechanism.")_

"But it's nothing like that. Looking at the past restraints and how she affected the agents and doctors, it's almost like repelling."

 _("Are you crazy, Cooper?" one of the doctors chuckles, looking at graphics and holograms Kagome can't ever hope to understand. The scepter is close to her, shining like a beacon of hope. "It's internal stimuli! It's answering accordingly to some kind of—something that we can't quite pick up. It's not defending itself but maybe…Bring me the charts from the last two weeks.")_

"In a chemical level, it's as if the subject is refining other properties, isolating whatever it considers a threat and converting it to ashes, or something close to it. Physically, it rejects matter away from it. We suspect the subject could control its energy on its own instead of channeling through physical vessels, obtaining something close to plasma or photon manipulation."

Kagome doesn't understand. She doesn't understand. She's too sick, too out of it.

"Energy control?"

"Something more than that. It—Well, it looks a lot like what we see in the _serum_."

" _Serum_? That unstable vial…isn't it done with—" the voices fade, both of their sets. Yellow light mingles with her clouded vision, taking the pain away as sleep tightens its grip on her mind.

"Yes—Baron—trade—production—alliance—call Takumi-sama."

Kagome sleeps.

•••

"Wake up."

Water hits her face, frigid cold as she wakes with a great gasp, coughing and blinking heavily against the harsh light cast upon her. Confusion grips her heart, squeezing it hard as it turns to terror when she sees she's surrounded again. Voices that only she could hear but that brought an odd comfort fade away as her grip on reality tightens.

"The Baron is quite adamant on having you in his hands, girl," Kagome blink at the old man leaning on a cane before her. He's dressed in a sharp suit of the highest quality. "But I want to meet this wannabe hero of our nation myself first. You, who gave us so much trouble even when I finally got a hold of you."

She doesn't have any idea who this Baron could be. Most likely someone from _Yamaguchi_. Kagome spies the armed men surrounding them and thinks; _definitely Yamaguchi._ "Tell him what I tell you now;" a mockery of a smile taints her mouth. " _Go fuck yourself_."

The man's lips move in a semblance of a smile. "You've got spunk, girl."

And Kagome laughs, loud and bitterly. She bares her teeth at him, something close to a snarl. "I've been told." Her head is pulled back by her hair, thick fingers gripping her whole head and holding tight, digits pressing against her scalp like hot branding. Kagome grits her teeth and sends her best glare at the man watching her. "Gonna kill me? Pay my debt to your lot with more blood? Torture me a bit more? Open me up and find my secrets?"

" _Ha_ ," someone lights up a cigar for him, putting it in his mouth. Kagome tries to breathe as calmly as possible, to concentrate enough to escape. She needs to focus. "That's what we told the small folks, ain't it?" He tilts his head. "We stopped being as simple as that for a time now. After all, why waste such fine…" he stares at her hands, which light up with spiritual power and yet fail to tear her restraints. "…specimen, when I can use you for something just—" he takes one step toward her, the noise from his cane hitting the hard ground sounding like a sentence of death. "So. Much." He leans down, putting the cigaret's hot tip on her forehead. Kagome gasps in pain. " _Better!_ " He grins as he moves the cigarette away, and his silhouette is illuminated by soft pink as her powers flash briefly to heal the wound he inflicted.

"You're simply too _unique_ to be thrown away so quickly."

Kagome pants heavily, eyes wide as she twists to look at her tied hands on the small of her back, thrashing widely against the unmoving simple metal cuffs. Her head is pushed back and she screams, trashing against her bounds with powers turned up to a hundred. The cuffs don't yield to her strength. The man smiles, "I have a friend who knows the _best_ way to lock up individuals like you," leaning towards her and grabbing her chin. He pulls her close, and someone holds her from behind, keeping her in place. "And, you can trust me on this; there's no possible way for you to get out free of these." His disgusting fingers dig into her skin, and Kagome snarls at his leer.

The metal stoping her from moving is cold against her skin while his fingers are like hellish branding. Fear doesn't quite describe what she feels now. This monster roaring in her heart, crying for help as she puts on a brave face, channeling her fury to battle against his words. Her powers rise up in defiance once more, channeling up to her skin and into this man. Touching his body, it turns blue, like flames that lick at his disgusting soul. He flinches away with a painful howl, his cane falls with a loud thud that brings sickening satisfaction to her.

He breathes shallowly, one hand holding the other that had grabbed her face. His skin darkens, dries and cracks like dry soil. His screams echo as his men rush to his aid, but he pushes them away. "Bring me the serum!" They are quick to scramble away from him. Gasping, he straightens himself, looking at her with a hellish gaze that morphs through the pain to something closer to amused curiosity as he meets her terrified eyes. A smirk sets Kagome's heart into a frenzy, "Surprised?" He walks closer to her. "Don't be, dear. I'm just a tad more resilient than your average victim." He is sweating profusely, the drying effect on his hand is slowly rising through the member. Kagome watches the—the _infection_ through terrified eyes.

Her senses go haywire as she watches his arm dry up of life. She can _feel_ her own powers interfering with his spiritual energy, dormant as it was, and to his very bone. His blood is…bitter. His muscles are unnatural. There's something not human at all in his body, something corrupting it and reaching as deep as his soul.

Kagome had never seen such a reaction to her purification.

His body fights against the destruction of her energy, rendering his arm useless but not turning it to ashes, stopping it before it destroyed him completely. All the while, Kagome feels his prodding gaze like a knife twisting her insides. When he comes closer again, Kagome tries to inch away from him, tries to increase the distance between their bodies despite her restrains. He leans down, terrifyingly close to her.

His soul is putrid, Kagome realizes, retching. She turns away from him as he nudges her gently with his nose, grabbing her face again with the same hand that she almost destroyed. It's horrible. Kagome hates the touch of the dammed skin upon hers. She feels the bile rising up in her throat and the tears gather in her eyes as he pulls her close. All of her senses are dominated by him. His scent, his touch, his breath, his soul. It all overwhelms her, making her cower from him.

"You're— _ugh_ , a very interesting one, ne?" She wants to twist his hand away, to turn his whole body to ashes. "You'll do a fine specimen." Kagome's body flares to life, skin burning pink as it attempts to purify his body again. He trembles in pain, yet his wild eyes remain glued to her terrified ones. Every inch of his skin cracks and dries as he shakes in pain. Her powers shine pink light upon his ashen features, and still, the mad man doesn't move away.

She shakes her head, a dry sob escaping when he finally lets her go, stumbling back. Kagome gasps when her head is pushed down from behind. She refuses to lift her gaze as he falls away from her, gasping for breath and cackling madly. _Taint,_ she realizes. His soul is like a taint to the air, infecting it like a miasma.

It affects his mind, just as it does his body and soul. Kagome shakes her head, mind flashing back to Naraku as words escape her trembling lips. "Wh—What…you—" She looks at the man laying on the floor through her eyelashes and fringe. He gets back on his feet, ashen skin falling off his body. His smile is sick, his soul is foul.

Kagome hates the sight of him.

"What am I?" he falls towards her, eyes wide as he grasps her face and pulls it close. His dry lips caress her ear, fingers intertwining with her short strands. "It doesn't matter, dear," he puts his forehead against her. "The only one who matters here is _you."_ Someone gives him something, and he takes a small step back, throwing his head back and drinking a bright blue liquid from a long vial. _The serum?_ He throws the empty vial away with a flourish. Kagome flinches at the loud sound of it breaking, eyes widening as he looks back at her with glowing blue eyes.

The blue liquid travels under his ashen skin, moving through his veins like blue light and healing every inch of his body it passed through. The dry skin falls off completely, revealing pink flesh that is young and hale. His dammed face falls away, rejuvenated and every bit as insane as before. His eyes are strikingly vicious, glued to her cowered form and taking pleasure from the sight. "That's my last vial, you know," once more, he grasps her face and pulls her close to his. "But I think I found my ticket for another batch and, this time—" he caresses her cheek tenderly, whispering to her like she's a precious thing that he loves. Like Naraku would to Kikyou. "—it will last for _decades_."

•••

Kagome is taken out of that wretched cell, dragged into a car. Her face is covered by a bag, her hands tied tightly. She doesn't attempt to run. There's a cold metal pressed into her side, a threat that she cannot ignore.

She's scared.

•••

She's dizzy when they arrive at the police station, the one near the drug spots and the hospital. The cell is empty, and she put is there without a care. Kagome tries to move her arms and fails. The corridor sounds empty, so she tries to pump her power through her body. It burns her from the insides, making her dizzy and thrown up some blue-black liquid as another vision clouds her surroundings in the worst of moments.

 _Fuck you,_ she thinks to the scientist duo that are always around the scepter. The vision makes her dizzier then she already is, and Kagome gasps in pain as her ever-present headache ascends and a high pitch noise deafens her. She falls to the ground, face into the horrible glowing liquid she just expelled from her body with her eyes fixed on the cell's door. Forcing one hand ahead of her to claw at the cemented floor, Kagome crawls to the bars. Long fingers curl around cold metal as she hoists her body up.

Under her palms, pink light pours out. Her whole hands light up in pink and she gasps silently at the burning sensation in her veins. She starts pulling at the bars and—

Shock, terrible pain, makes her spasm widely and fall back to the floor as it recedes, wheezing for breath. Her eyes meet cold blue ones. The woman standing before her is beautiful, foreign. Tall built and coiled muscles under a leather overall uniform in black with a red skull on her left breast, she pulls back the shock stick she had dug into Kagome's neck.

The woman speaks, some language Kagome can't discern. She observes Kagome for a few moments, cold eyes greedy and terrible before she gets up and walks away. Terror, deep in her gut that creeps upon her bones and flesh, captures all senses, changes all thoughts. All ideas of escaping disappear, and, for what feels like a century, Kagome tastes death.

And then the woman goes flying through the corridor like a rag-doll.

The door is tore open from its hinges as a blond woman throws it out of the way. She wears tourist clothes, an Osaka shirt with little cartoonish foods and stuffs and baggy jeans as she casually strolls toward Kagome. She blinks up at the stranger, confused.

" _Hey_ , Kagome," her name is absolutely butchered by her. The woman offers a familiar backpack to her, a cheeky smile on her lips. _"Found your backpack."_

Kagome kinda knows English, but not enough it seems, since she doesn't have any idea what the woman just said.

 _"Let's bail you out, eh?"_

"What—"

And the woman wraps an arm around her waist, exploding the cell's ceiling with some kind of energy coming out of her fists, flying out into the night.

•••

The night sky so similar to the one she witness in the past is her first clue that something is terribly wrong, and perhaps she's not in Osaka anymore. _Have I returned?_

She blinks and blinks again for good measure. She's swaying on a boat. She's laying on a boat. She sits on the boat, looks around, feels her hair whipping through the air and hitting her face as the thing speeds through the dark sea.

 _She's on a freaking boat._

"You're awake? _Don't move too much_!" atrocious Japanese mixed with English calls her attention. There's a blonde woman piloting the sailboat. She's smiling confidently in the glare of artificial lights, seemingly unbothered by the endless patch of darkness surrounding them.

"Who the hell are you?" The wind is whistling in her ears, and her spiritual energy is quick to answer to her rising adrenaline. Her skin glows pink and then it's all redirected to her clenched fists. Kagome gets on her feet, out of balance with the constant swaying under her feet. The yacht sails over the water and Kagome stumbles forward with a yelp, power disappearing as she slams on the panel beside the blonde.

The woman stares at her with a smirk, snatching her by the collar of her shirt — _where's her jacket? where's her kimono?!_ — and forcing her down. Kagome falls on her butt and blinks at the woman, astonished by her bossy attitude. "Carol Denvers," she screams over the roaring wind. "Your friend!"

Face contorting in annoyance and confusion, Kagome answers back with as much sassiness as she can put into words. "I don't know you!"

The mad woman laughs, throwing her head back and laughing deep and freely. " _But you do!_ " she sends a winning smile at her. "In the future!"

 _What._

 _•••_

 **A/N:** Marvel at least.

Before any business, I'd like to apolagize for my terrible horrible incapable self: I can't write anything less than M rated solely for my violence. I can't do PG fighting. I can't. It's horrible and one day I _will_ write PG violence, for fuck's sake.

Kagome's powers sound like they are all over the place, but they are actually not. In canon, in various instances, Kagome's sacred arrows interacted weirdly with her surroundings. I believe it has been stated that her powers could only harm _youkai_ , but I may be wrong on that and mix my InuYasha lore with some other fandom. Anyways, in some scenes I've seen her take down hordes of demons, some scenes have her arrows shooting through the battlefield with a dramatic cloud of dust following behind. By this, I take she _can_ , in fact, interact with the physical realm. In this story, Kagome uses her powers blindly, with not a lot of control since she doesn't have any clear goal in mind (AKA, purifying demons or aiming at a jewel shard).

Going through this, I thought on the various ways her powers could affect others, and how they are quite wild. Using the few other aspects in the InuYasha lore I managed to come up with a good enough development of how her powers work that fit the MCU world of science and magic. In this, we see her going at it blindly, but still trying without restraint, since she's by herself. Feel free to argue or point out inconsistencies. With that in mind, I'd like to tell you guys that _yes_ , all of what you read has a point. Everything has a reason. Kagome needed to go through all of this so she could understand her powers on her own for a bit.

All of the priestess shown in the series have their powers connected to tradition, Kagome doesn' and I'd like to explore that part of the fandom freely while keeping it fresh and consistent to the world and plot I came up with.

As for Carol, Happy Captain Marvel week! It's her time to shine and I'm READY for it. I've been so excited to know what y'all think. I'd say that it's all tentatively canon about her. Next chapter may come in the weekend instead of Friday cause I wanna see if I can watch the movie and make any needed adaptations to it if possible.

A lot of OC's in this chapter, but not all. Takumi was an actual historical figure that I took a bit of artistic liberty to include him into this world. Can any of you figure out who he is?

Also, again, of this yakuza situation was made up by me. I have no idea how they are doing in real life, and this is a fictional situation connected to the MCU canon.

Kissus kisssus, use protection in this carnival holiday.

~Mari


	6. Saved

"I don't know you!"

The woman throws her back and laughs. " _But you do!_ " she sends a winning smile at her. "In the future!"

All Kagome has time to do is mutter a strangled "what?" before she throws up and blacks out.

•••

The puking is unbearable. Kagome retches on a bucket, and this time only droll coming out of her mouth. She has emptied her stomach a long time ago, through storms in the open sea and the lulling shake of the boat. The woman taking care of her speaks nonsensical things about her body cleaning itself from impurity. She vehemently explains that it's trying to drain itself all the tainted energy she absorbed.

The taint she speaks of is the blue-black liquid that comes out of her mouth now and then. It persists even in her excessive sweating, make her skin glow with an unnatural sick color and her tears paint dark tracks along her cheeks. Every pore of her body burns, she

It's a painful process for Kagome. Cringing from the pain, she looks inside the bucket, watching as drops of droll fall into the black-blue mass. The stench is terrifying.

She falls back into her bed, putting the bucket beside it on the floor. Inside the cabin, it's unbearably hot. Her sheets and clothes are drenched in her sweat, stained in black and blue. Every pore of her skin burns, every organ inside of her throbs, every bone is under strain, muscles clench involuntarily. The shaking is as much painful as the puking.

It's been so for days now. Her body wracked by terrible pain shakes uncontrollably. Danvers worries over her, incapable of doing much as the blue — _infection, disease, impurity_ — is expelled from her body.

Alone with a stranger, sailing the seas away from her birthplace, illness getting worse each time the sun rises and falls beyond the horizon; Kagome is terrified for what it may become of her.

•••

Day and night blend into a horrible, endless nightmare. The acute pain and illness brought by the infection takes away all of her senses, makes her beg for the warmth of her mother's arms and the comfort of grandpa's wise words. How much she wishes to gaze upon Souta's young face, cheeks still full of that baby fat and eyes shining with hero worship.

Drifting through unknown waters, moving farther and farther away from her lands, Kagome cries for her family. Carol Danvers, the stranger who saved her and claimed to be her friend, worries over her sickness. She frowns heavily, her nose scrunches up every time she enters the cabin to check on her, her eyes are a telling on how much she is lost in this situation.

There's a pain in her eyes when she needs to restrain Kagome; when the shaking turns out to be too much. Kagome's powers flare wildly, enhancing her strength and threatening to pierce the hull. Still, the blond woman holds her firmly, guilt and worry in her eyes as she watches over her.

Her face is haunting. She is foreign to Kagome but treats her with so much care and fondness. There's a genuine feeling to her, something that bonds them tightly, truthfully and lovingly. " _Who—who are_ _you?!_ " Kagome once gasped out, tears staining her face before arching her back on the bed, pain so great her scream turns out to be silent.

The woman had taken hold of her glowing arms, sad eyes and a firm set to her mouth as she straddled her, holding her legs with her own while her hands held tightly to Kagome's arms. "A friend," was her firm answer. Kagome had sobbed, shaking her head and coughing. The woman had been quick to let her go, turning her on her side and directing her head over the edge of the cot so she could throw up that horrid liquid.

Delusional, Kagome had gasped the name of a friend that had been as headstrong as her savior, "Sango…"

The woman had sounded ever so sorrowful when she replied, "No, Kagome…I'm Carol. Just Carol."

•••

Kagome thinks she is going to die.

The pain is too great, and her arms are getting thinner, her strength diminishing. She is tired all the time, her insides burn and turn. She can't eat or drink and keep it in her stomach.

Should she feel relief over the fact that she can finally leave this nightmare behind?

•••

"InuYasha…" she calls, tears streaming down her cheeks. Danvers watches with a heavy heart. She holds the hand of the one who is salvation, closes her eyes, and hopes.

(" _You only need to take me out. I'll heal just fine by herself.")_

Carol isn't as much sure now.

 _("Do not interfere too much, Danvers. We don't know what could happen to her if you did so when she's so…vulnerable.")_

Kagome flinches again, gurgling something ugly as the bile comes. The tainted liquid bubbles out of her mouth and Carol is quick to turn her face to the side while holding her torso up. It's clumsy, but she's got her to throw the stuff mostly into the bucket. Kagome retches painfully, her chest expanding painfully. Carol can see her ribs pressing on the shirt.

 _("You can't interfere with the past. It can destroy us. Destroy her.")_

"But what if I'm letting her die?" she asks herself, a heavy frown twisting her features. "What if I can help, but…" _Time is a fickle thing_ , Kagome would tell her, a glint to her eyes that Carol could never hope to understand.

 _("You need to trust your gut.")_

Kagome moans, tears tuned pitch black and glowing blue fall from her eyes. Her skin is glistered with a sickening blue liquid.

 _("This is important. You can't—")_

"—mess it up." She gulps down the dread, works her jaw and sets it into a hard line. "I can't mess it up," she fists her hands, power firing through them. Tendrils of soft golden energy rise up from within, twirling about lazily, coiling upwards and then down. They caress her friend's skin, a current of electricity surging upon contact with her tainted sweat. It, her powers, seep into her body. Carol watches it with dread, instantly locking down her powers.

Her eyes watch frantically, searching for any negative reaction. Kagome keeps gasping for air, keeps sweating and crying and moaning in pain. The glow from Carol's own energy travels under the younger girl's skin, and soon the gold and orange are joined by pink energy she's familiar with. Raw, they travel up and down her veins until dissipating into her.

Kagome sighs in what could be relief, relaxed for once.

•••

"You're getting better." Danvers says softly, pressing a damp towel to her forehead.

"Doesn't feel like it," Kagome replies brokenly. It hurt to breathe. "How long have we…?" She sighs, a slight frown to her brow before she looks up at the narrow window, watching the seawater splash at the thick glass.

"Two weeks now," she answers reluctantly, putting the towel aside and getting up on her feet. "I've been delaying our journey for your sake but…" Kagome purses her lips, frustrated at her own incapacity to heal herself. Danvers doesn't notice, her back turned to Kagome and focus redirected to the map glued on the opposite wall. "You're taking more time than expected to clean your system."

Her powers won't heal her. It's like they burn instead, hot like fire beneath her skin. Because of this, the taint must bleed out slowly, painfully. Not allowing her powers to destroy it, she became a burden in their voyage to freedom. Looking away with a heavy frown, Kagome bites on her lower lip, hands curling into tight fists.

"I think we should hit land in two weeks, or three," she continues, sighing and turning back to Kagome. "We've been going about the coast, but it's time to move. By then, you should stand on your own. We can leave the boat behind and trek through the woods." She crosses her arms, determinate set to her mouth. "We get in through Clear Water Bay Country Park, trek until we reach Tai Au Mun train station, and then we reach Hong Kong."

Kagome blinks. "Hong…Kong?"

Danvers smiles wanly, "that's where you told me to take you."

•••

"For— ugh, how long ha…have we know each—" she growls, looking skyward and biting her lip in frustration. After three days since she has finally been told of their itinerary, Kagome has enough strength to sit under the sun and watch the odd woman, but sometimes it still hurts to talk or breathe too much without throwing up.

"How long have we know each other, you mean," she completes the phrase, a soft smile on her lips as she goes about the cockpit, then out towards the bow. There's a comfort to her movements, a routine that has become familiar to Kagome. "And I can't tell you that, you know it."

Kagome smirks without really meaning it, leaning back tiredly and turning her face to watch the endless blue waters. "Doesn't hurt to ask."

There's a lull in the not-silence that looms over their heads. The sound of the water hitting the hull, the sails snapping in the wind, whispering sweet nothings in her ears. Some of their trinkets roll about, accompanying the movement of their sailboat.

"Where did you learn how to sail?" Kagome snaps back to the present, focusing on Danvers tying a knot. Her hair is pilled up on top of her hair, darker roots a stark contrast with her lighter tips. Like a reverse of her own hair.

"I don't," she replies, tilting her head. "Sail, that is. I don't know how." Danvers actually looks up from her work, a confused look on her face. Her mouth is open in surprise like she hadn't expected her answer. _Do I know how to sail in the future?_

A teasing smile takes over the woman's surprise. "You don't?" Kagome only shakes her head, pulling her blanket tighter around herself. Danvers snaps her mouth shut, tilting her own head and narrowing her gaze on her. "How do you feel about me teaching you, then?" Kagome blinks and she grins in response, shrugging. "It wouldn't be too bad to have some help around here," _bullshit,_ Kagome thinks, shivering. They both know well enough Kagome can't move much without falling into her own vomit these days. And she hates herself for it.

Still, she managed to come out of the bed, right? It's something for her to do. So, with great pain, Kagome gets up on shaky legs, grabbing everything near her and pulls her ass to sit beside the woman. Danvers shifts slightly, allowing Kagome to see the thick rope in her hands. She undoes the knot and the first lesson begins.

•••

They're one week away from their destination when Kagome throws up for the last time.

•••

Kagome looks at Danvers — really looks at her — and _sees_ for the first time.

There's terrible power within her. A beacon of light and energy that feels infinite. For so long they've been together, alone on this sailboat, but Kagome had never noticed it; a connection between them, two symphonies of power that harmonize. There's a call to her, a piece of music that only Kagome can hear, that makes it so easy to relax near her.

It makes Kagome wary.

She wonders if this is how InuYasha or Kaede felt; a connection to someone that seems so familiar but isn't exactly what they expect. Was this what Kikyou felt? A connection to a stranger who held power so similar and as unique as hers, but who she had never even met.

Carol Danvers sings to her, calls for her. The flames of her power lick at Kagome's own, intwining softly in the air between them even when they are not actively using them. Kagome takes comfort from the fact that this awkward revelation is something only she understands and feels.

But then, Danvers seems so close, maybe she already knows it.

Maybe Kagome has told her about it in the future, maybe it's what brought them together. Danvers is awfully familiar with her, knows her so well when all she is a blank slate to Kagome. She touches Kagome's arm, shares quips, and stories. She is open and understanding. Utterly caring every time Kagome as much as sways in faint weakness. She is careful with how she holds her, how she speaks to her. Her eyes are soft at night when they seat at the cockpit under the stars.

They each take their own time to maneuver the tiller, keeping the boat on its path as the wind takes them. Every night, they share quiet intimacies with soft eyes turned upwards, watching the stars. Danvers tells her of them — the stars, suns, planets, galaxies that she visited —, of her travels, of how her own self is still out there helping others find their own homes. Kagome teaches her how to use them for travel, the bare basics of human travel she picked up in the past. What is North, where is it, how to find their way home.

It's in these moments of closeness that Kagome feels their connection soar higher than ever. Watching the stars and sharing pieces of themselves, their souls fills into each other. In her soft eyes, Kagome sees friendship and…something. Something like "thank you". There's awe in her eyes like she can't believe the little bundle of at least three blankets taking one entire half of the cockpit is _her_.

Kagome wonders what she sees. She wonders what she did in the future to earn such…adoration. Such love and loyalty that this woman actually traveled to the past with the sole goal of taking her out of that place, of nursing her to health with ultimate patience.

She doesn't ask though, afraid to know the answers, afraid of knowing too soon. So she ties the ropes, she moves through the boat with purpose, and when land is finally on the horizon, they share a joyful laugh of triumph as their powers flare into a crescendo.

•••

Dread pools low in her belly as they slowly drift near land. The thick forest looms tall over them, the beach is rocky and deserted, mist moving out over the water from the treeline. Danvers uses a photon blast to push them to the beach. Kagome holds tight, closing her eyes as they come to a violent stop. Her backpack is heavy and she's dressed lightly to fight back the heat of summer despite the slight chill in the morning air.

Danvers jumps out, and she follows with only a second of hesitation. They've already cleaned the boat of their presence, and Carol is firm on abandoning the expensive thing despite Kagome's reluctance.

"We can't have anything leading to us."

"We could sell it. It's _expensive!_ " And, _gods_ , Kagome knows the value of money now.

"We'll be doing a kindness to whoever finds it first then. Let's go!"

Kagome stares at the rocky path up, then back down at Danvers bravely marching forward. "It's too high!" she calls to her companion. The blonde only turns to face her, a little smirk on her face as she walks backward.

"There's no such thing as _too_ _high,_ " then her legs are blazing gold with power, overflowing and shining brightly as she bends her knees and jumps. Kagome gapes at the space she had just stood, then at the smug woman who just landed high up above her on the treeline, beyond the rocky cliff face.

It's on the tip of her tongue to demand her to come down and take her up, but the glint in Danvers' eyes stop her. The older woman stands way above her, chin high and proud even as her eyes look down at her, searching, challenging. The Kagome of the past would need help. She'd either have to ask for it or crawl up these rocks to reach the top.

She's not that little girl anymore.

She's not a _girl_ anymore.

Taking a deep breath, she allows her energy — asleep for so long — to travel down her legs. It flares brightly, licks at the air with power and strength unknown to even her. She bends her knees and _jumps_.

She shoots in the air, memories of her hard training with Sakuya roaring in her head as the sky comes closer. She stops for a moment, her hand reaching blinding at the blue expense above her. For the first time, it looks as if it's within her reach. She snaps her gaze back down when she falls.

 _("Keep it activated until you reach the ground, you idiot. If you turn it off before landing, you'll just break yourself.")_

She braces for the fall and hits the ground with a boom. There's a small crater at her feet, the same as Danvers', and she takes a moment to laugh at the glorious feeling of freedom and power coursing through her veins once more. It's breathtaking, and she's hugging Danvers close before she can restrain herself. There's no pain, no sickness, and Kagome is _safe._ She's alive and _free._

 _"Thank you,"_ she sobs into her shoulder, the weight of what they — she— escaped finally settling on her shoulders. Danvers chuckles, a wide grin on her mouth as they part. He hands are heavy on Kagome's shoulders and her fingers are quick to move a few stray hairs from her face as they share joyful giggles. "Thank you _so_ much, Carol." The other woman's grin widens so much her eyes are almost closed.

"It's no problem at all, Kagome."

•••

"Kites," Kagome's slender finger points at the flying objects at the highest point near them. It's faint and difficult to see through the treetop, but the vibrant colors make them easy to spot through the green.

"Good," Carol answers promptly, squinting her eyes at the distance. "That means there are people nearby, probably a trail or a park. We can be mistaken by tourists going off the trail." She nods decisively before looking back at her. "You know Mandarin?"

Kagome shakes her head, "not a bit." Carol cringes, snapping her tongue before continuing.

"English?" she asks hopefully as she ducks under a low branch. Kagome only shakes her head when she passes by it to find the woman looking at her expectantly. Carol curses, making Kagome's eyebrow twitch involuntarily in annoyance. "No spells, dammit."

"What was it?"

"Nothing!" She snaps back forward, not looking back as her voices turns suspiciously high. "Let me do the talking, yeah?"

Kagome purses her lips and narrows her eyes at her back, but agrees.

•••

It's unnerving how easily Carol changes languages and speaks so fluently in both languages.

They stand amongst civilization for the first time since what feels like an eternity. Kagome revels into the familiar weight of her old summer clothes and backpack. Her thin shirt and shorts, the kimono over it all like an overcoat. Her worn boots are a welcome weight on her feet, and standing on land is all the more joyful after days on uncertain feet. The voices of the crowds around her, children running around eyes glued to their soaring kites. The feeling of not being unique, of being just one more in a crowd.

Despite the relief that is to remember she's not alone in this world, she's dreadfully tired.

Carol speaks in quick, rapid-fire mandarin. She switches just as easily to Japanese when speaking to Kagome. After a few more inquiries to a couple of girls hanging out at the park, they point them down what Carol calls Clear Water Bay road. They walk a better part of half an hour down a road surrounded by trees. The sky is high above them, relentless with its rays. Kagome is used to it though, even if her body is not at its peak condition.

They finally arrive at a roundabout, taking a pause there to go to the public toilet, eat and drink. Carol strolls leisurely, like they aren't here, in China, illegally.

Not that Kagome has much of a problem with it. Everything she does lately tends to be illegal.

Carol actually pays for their food before they leave, which baffles Kagome to no end. "Where did you get that money?"

She snorts as they walk to the bus to in front of the restaurant. "Future you gave me enough that we won't call attention by _stealing_." Kagome reels back and looks wide-eyed at her. Carol doesn't bother to stop beside her stupefied self, strolling casually ahead to the bus stop.

"Future me has _money?!_ "

•••

The bus ride is a long one, full of tired tourists, sleeping soundly in their seats. Though they are both tired, Kagome and Carol look out their window with wide eyes of wonder. There's something pure and untouchable in their shared wonder and quiet whispers.

Despite the heaviness of her eyelids, Kagome watches as the green scenery blends with civilization, as the rich mansions give away to tall building and apartments. As the small road becomes large enough to fit four, five, six and more cars. They watch in wonder as they enter the city proper, with too many roads and streets and viaducts that tangle together to form something that could lose them in a blink of an eye.

Walking out of the bus is a daunting task, and as they step on the sidewalk with the crowd, they take a minute to look up and around. The looming viaduct on the other side of the narrow street looms over them along with the shops and building lining up the sidewalk.

Carol's hand finds hers, squeezing hard as Kagome turns to face her. She has a soft smile on her lips that Kagome matches slowly, fingers tangling between hers as she returns the comfort. They walk up the long stairs leading to the Kwun Tong train station, and by the time they fall into their seats, Kagome's eyes are closing despite her stubbornness.

She sleeps the whole train ride.

•••

Carol wakes her up, her indecisive face turning fierce and mischievous. Kagome warily follows her into the city but stops once they reach a fancy-ass hotel that reaches high towards the sky. She plants her feet on the sidewalk, the woman stopping and turning to look back at her with a lifted eyebrow while Kagome stares at her with a frown. "Are you mad?" Kagome shakes her head, pointing at the hotel while tugging her away from it. Carol doesn't move. "We can't go there!"

"Sure we can," Carol answers, that dirty smug ass smirk on her face. Kagome wants to throttle the woman.

"Did you drag me here just to take me to—to—a fucking hotel?! We could've gone to one. IN JAPAN!" She stomps one foot down and grits her jaw as the other woman only cocks her hip and tilts her head to the side, an amused smile on her tired face. "We don't have money— _we don't have documentation!_ "

"Sure we have," Carol shrugs.

Kagome points at her with both her hands, gasping, indignant, at her casual replies. "You're an _alien!_ " She whispers furiously, ignoring the 'not really' the smug idiot fires back. " _From the future!_ "

Carol shrugs, again. _Infuriating woman._ "Who has lots of cash," with that, she twirls around and strolls, _again_ , to the hotel entrance.

Kagome is so tired, but she still tries to move her away. Doesn't work, and, somehow, they end up at the Cityview's penthouse.

•••

Entering the lobby, walking among these pristine people, Kagome feels lower than dirt itself. Her boots leave behind bits of dirt on the shining floor, her clothes are too thin and the chills from the AC make her have goosebumps all over. Her hair, a mess of tangles and curls and a disgusting old painting job, make people turn their nose away in disgust at the sight of her.

She feels dirty as the attendant clearly twists her nose in disgust, words that mean nothing to her but a tone that leaves its intent clear barely start before Carol smacks a stack of notes on the front desk. The lady's eyes snap down to the money before meeting Carol's with a big and fake smile.

They treat them with the utmost respect.

•••

Kagome takes a bath for the first time with no rush, using an actual showered, soap, shampoo and conditioner.

There are a soft towel and a bathrobe waiting for her by the end of it, and no matron or guard ordered her out for taking too long.

Carol waits for her by the sitting area with a full meal on the table for them both.

The TV is turned on. They watch a stupid romantic comedic that leaves them sighing wistfully and laughing until they have tears sneak out of the corner of their eyes.

Kagome brushes her teeth.

Her feet are snuggling warm inside their slippers.

She lays on a bed. A full bed, just for her. She wears sleeping clothes Carol bought for her nearby while she bathed.

She tucks herself in, the AC is on and the blankets are clean and crisp and warm.

There's an actual pillow under her head. Her hair is smooth and silky, no lumps or big knots digging into her head.

Kagome cries.

She cries so much—she sobs loudly, buries her face into the softness she hasn't even remembered existing and weeps loudly. She hugs the blankets close, buries herself into this luxury, into this heavenly comfort she had forgotten to even miss.

This dream, this…it's not home. It's not familiar.

But it's comforting, it's warm, it's soft, it's _clean_.

It's—It's—It's….

Kagome loves Carol, then, for giving her this comfort — _this gift —_ before whatever happens the following day.

•••

They eat breakfast together the following morning, and if Carol notices the way her eyes are red and swollen or had heard the loud sobs coming from her room the previous night, she doesn't mention it. Kagome savors the food even as her stomach twists into itself. She sets her cutlery down before facing Carol's calm eyes.

"Where will you take me, Carol?"

She takes her time to answer, staring at her in silence with narrowed eyes that look but don't really see what's in front of her. She sucks in her lips, looks down with a slight frown and a slow tilt of her head. Nodding to herself, Carol looks back at her with a small grin and a determined face. "We could go to the hair salon. Maybe take a dive into the pool."

She purses her lips, looks down at her empty plate. "Don't play with me. You brought me here for a reason. _I_ had a reason to tell you to bring me here…" she gulps down the fear, the desperate wish to follow to her suggestion, to fall back into a dream of halcyon days and leisure. "And if I know myself well enough," she looks back up to meet her gaze, blue eyes hard. "It's not to play tourist."

Carol puts her elbow on the table, resting her cheek on the palm of her hand and smiling softly at her. "No, it isn't," she agrees easily enough. "But," she breathes in, leaning in close and pushing her hands' palms up on the table, close to her. Kagome hesitatingly puts her hands on top of hers. "We can afford to play tourist. We have the money for it. We have time for you to _rest_."

 _She knows;_ it's what Kagome thinks, looking into her kind eyes. She knows of her nights sleeping on her precious cardboard bed, of the shelter and the park benches and the days without food or shelter or warmth. Of the massacres, of the fighting and the merciless training, and the children, and the torture. Maybe even about her fa—

It's a pity, perhaps. Sympathy— that makes Carol so open, so willing to help her in such a useless way. What does leisure and luxury matter when Kagome is trying to escape shadows? She should proceed with whatever her future self had planned. There's no use to lay herself on a bed of roses, to breathe while her pursuers loom over her.

Her sight flashes, the world twists upon itself. Carol emits a bright blue light, intercepting with the vision. She sees the empty lab as the Scepter flares brightly, then a golden chamber with a green jewel on a pedestal at its center. A shadow cuts through all three visions, bringing her to where she should be.

Carol still looks at her with patience, waiting calmly for her answer. Her decision. The weight on Kagome's shoulder increase, the memories cut deeper. Carol offers respite, but what use does it have? _I take no pity_ , she wants to hiss back, as InuYasha would once do.

 _Does it matter?_ She asks herself, tired. _Does my pride prevent me from accepting this?_

Kagome stares into brown eyes that are kind and understanding. She takes a deep breath and looks down, grinding her jaw and frowning.

"I—" she stops, mouth hanging open before sighing quietly and looking down. "One day…," she bits on her lower lip, closing her eyes. "We can stall for one day," and her breath hitches at the thought, her face scrunching up as Carol's hold on her hands tightens.

Carol's answer is just as soft, "so we will."

•••

She wears the same clothes from when they first arrived when they step out into the lobby again. The receptionist bows to them, smiling blandly and wishing them safety as they leave the building. The morning is _hot._ The sun shines brutally on their backs, the humidity absolutely insufferable. They shop for clothes, swimming ones, and simple dresses. Flip-flops and lighter clothes that are not durable enough to Kagome's tastes.

The sun is higher in the sky by the time they find a salon. Wary, Kagome almost snaps at the hairdresser when she approaches her with scissors. The last time someone approached her with scissors and blades, it was with the sole intention of cutting her open and turning her insides.

The workers fawn over her hair, over how its color is ghastly, how its tips are deplorable or how dry it feels. They work in tandem, using their best products, washing and hydrating and painting it black as she wishes, despite their begging her not to.

Looking in the mirror is easier when she looks a bit more like herself.

Carol has practically all of her hair chopped off in a stylish cut. Kagome tells her she looks beautiful and the woman actually blushes, returning the compliment.

Carol leads her to a ramen place, after. It's late in the noon, too late for lunch, so the place they go to is almost empty of patrons. They seat, and she orders ramen for her and oden for Kagome. Kagome cancels the order, another one's voice ringing in her head, offering her favorite dish in a similar way to Carol's.

Thankfully, the other doesn't comment on it.

They walk back to the hotel by sundown. The streets light up with life, people mingle, cars speed past. Nightlife starts to bloom around them as they enter the lobby. Carol drags her to their room, pushes her swimming clothes into her arms and tells her she will wait. They soon leave the room once more, Carol chats with her, not stopping for a minute as they proceed into the pool.

First dipping her toes into it, Kagome sighs as the warm water embraces her skin. A soft gasp leaves her lips as she tips her head back, gaze directed at the far sky, clear of stars, poisoned by their light. She blinks as her body sinks, her feet touching the bottom of the pool. Her body feels heavy, there's no lightness in the tightening of her muscles. The water glows bright blue with the pool lights, painting her vision with cool tones.

It filters the ugliness of the world. Maybe the sky turns out to be less of a void, her skin less white from spending who knows how long hidden from the glare of the sun. There's softness in the color, on the warmth that caresses the tension out of her. Her eyes close, and she lets herself fall.

Sound is muted, diluted. Warmth presses all around her. Her feet leave the ground.

She floats.

Muscles unclench, breathing stops, her body turns. Nothing grounds her anymore, and she floats. The silence screams at her.

In the darkness behind her closed eyelids, light blooms. Visions become vivid, full. There are colored lines, infinite in number, leading away and around her. They shine brightly, each a different color, a different path, a different flavor. They hum to her, with her.

They are an orchestra, the instruments, ready to be played by her tune. Time is…irrelevant, but not. She feels it passing, she counts each second, she sees the motions of the universe as it moves forward and forward and forwardandforwardandforward—

It passes by her.

She rises up, feet on the ground again pushing her up and up and up— she breaks the surface with a gasp, blinking furiously, pushing her hair away of her face. Kagome gasps for air and looks around, finding Carol sitting on the edge of the pool. She has one knee up, hugging her leg close to her chest while the other kicks softly at the water. She's pensive, searching.

Kagome decides to ignore her, falling back on the water. Her body floats on the surface, and she looks up, at the vast sky— At the unknown.

She floats and, this time, she has her eyes wide open.

•••

Waking up the next morning, she feels like an entirely different person. Her body doesn't ache the way it once did. Her mind is silent, void of any voices and her vision is clear. The crisp and clean scent of the bedding is heavenly. Her skin is smooth, clean, it feels as if the sheet is caressing her skin.

The curtains are drawn, and their bedroom is so far away from the street no sound reaches them. There's no tired fog clouding her mind. Her hand moves, petting the soft sheets with something close to fascination.

Kagome doesn't want to get up; but for the first time in the longest time, it's just because she's so _comfortable_.

 _(She remembers the cardboard, the streets. She remembers not wanting to get up, not wanting to face the struggle of life again. Her cardboard could shelter her for a bit longer. Maybe if she remained, everything would fix itself._

 _Hunger rumbled in her belly, her throat was dry, begging for water she didn't have._

 _Maybe if she didn't move, it would all go away._

 _Maybe she would go away.)_

Her belly didn't protest, but as a delicious smell invaded her nostrils, it made its desire know. She feels no pain accompanying it, a novice. It brings a reluctant smile to her lips that dies the moment she steps out of her room.

Carol is finishing their breakfast, putting it all on the table when Kagome joins her. Dread laps at the edges of her mind, but Kagome ignores it in favor of helping the older woman. They sit, Carol keeps babbling as she usually does. Kagome thinks it's to put her at ease — Carol doesn't really look like the type of person who talks as much as she does.

Kagome doesn't really answer her, focusing on her food — _will there be food for her wherever they are going_ — trying to eat as much as she can — _she needs to have a full belly, who knows when they can eat again_ — and bury the wariness and bitterness rising in her heart — _why is she trusting this woman_ — instead. Carol eventually falls into silence, stops to eat completely and watches while Kagome devours their meal.

Tired of her gaze, Kagome slams her utterly on the table and leans back on her chair with crossed arms and pursed lips. She breathes heavily through her nostrils, trying to calm her pounding heart. She meets the Captain's heavy gaze with her own.

"Where will we go?"

Carol smiles, slowly, "somewhere where you can learn."

Kagome blinks at her, annoyance creeping into her voice. "Learn _what?"_

•••

 **A/N:** way more than a weekend late, but it has been a hard month and a half. well, no excuses. let's get into the good bits.

surprisingly, not many edits to carol's part? even her power? like, i had 2/5 of this chapter ready by the time captain marvel came out, and it all flowed...marvelously?

most of the following time was taken to make their route to where i wanted. as always, every place and route mentioned is real, even bus route. i actually followed the bus route in the street view so i could describe the fucking ride. i _thought_ of trying to learn, theoretically, how to sail a sailboat. but i was honestly super lazy about that, so i google some parts and quick studied some others and bullshitted my way forward. completely unprofessional of me but hey, give a break ok.

not many visions here, but it's mostly quiet. i'll try to post again friday, then, if i'm back in schedule, we'll have a chapter each week for a while again. no promises tho, i have a sign language assignment glaring at my back and i need to read some books and do some research and shit.

also bananarock509 totally guessed who is takumi. i'm speechless. i took so long to research properly muahauhauhuahuahua. kudos to you. the man who never sleeps indeed.

shoot your ideas. WHO HAS ANY IDEA WHERE THE FUCK CAROL IS TAKING KAGOME?

~mari


	7. Anomaly

Her story truly begins at 81 Dundas Street with Kwong Wa Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Not that Kagome knows this yet, but she will.

The street is packed with street vendors and little shops, people mingle and cars are parked somewhat messily while others speed by. There are signals _everywhere_ , glaring at them. There's both fresh fruit and fish, trinkets and every other thing one needs to survive. As the walk further through the masses, right on the corner leading to Kwong Wa St., a beautiful tall building immediately grabs her attention. Six stories high, its architecture is entirely different from its surroundings but still blending perfectly with the heap of modernities surrounding it. It looks old but well taken care of, in an industrial style that has many big windows on every floor. The top floor has a big round one facing the street, a sideways triangle with a cutting line making a pattern on the glass.

It has many windows, all fogged. There's no way to tell what happens inside. Elegant pillars support the strutter and frame the windows and the front door. There's something about it she can't quite describe. Some kind of energy that it emits, that drags the air itself into it. It looks oddly ethereal in her lights, guarded by energies that are not entirely earthly. Carol walks up to it with the same confidence she did to their hotel. Kagome runs to walk beside her, craning her neck to look up at the tall building on the other side of the street.

It's only as she steps onto the street to cross it and notices halfway through that Carol does not walk beside her. She twists around, hair whipping behind her as she looks back. Carol still stands on the sidewalk, looking over her shoulder, half her body turned away.

"Carol?" she calls for her, dread polling into her belly. "What's wrong?" Carol turns, blinking at her and pursing her lips. Kagome turns to face completely. "Carol?"

"I didn't want to say goodbye," the other says. Kagome gulps, stricken by her sudden confession, and tries to ignore the voice in her head that says — _i told you i told you i told you._ "Not so soon."

"Then don't," she says back, somewhat trembly, daring to take a step forward. "Don't say goodbye at all."

Carol's eyes gloss over and she shakes her head, lips pursing even more. "You need to go," she tilts her head to the side, warm brown eyes turning hard. "Go inside that building," she points at the one Kagome had been looking at, on the corner. The red light turns green for the cars, but Kagome stands her ground despite the angry horns.

"I could run," she braves on, shrugging. "If—If you go, it wouldn't matter that you brought me all the way here. I could just _leave_. If you leave—" her voice hitches and there's a soft hiccup that escapes before she sets her jaw and continues, heavy frown contrasting with the vulnerable look in her eyes. "Then I'll just— I shouldn't— _I don't know you_! I—You— _Why_?!"

"They're here," if she wasn't scared before, she's terrified now. "You need to go, _now._ " Carol fixes her stance, still half turned towards her, eyes still fixed on her. "And you—you need to _learn._ This place — this is where you can start," her fists light up as she turns away from her. Her stance is one Kagome doesn't remember seeing but recognizes all the same. Carol is ready to fight, muscles coiled and ready to strike. Kagome refuses to listen to her, running out of the middle of the street and standing beside her, eyes searching for threats as the cars pass with long irritated horns sounding behind them before the light turns red once more.

Carol pushes her away, her voice forceful. "Kagome, no!" Her voice is haunting, her eyes are knowing. "So much depends on you, so many lives depend on you _entering that building_ ," the word comes out like a heavyweight setting her shoulder. Kagome snatches her eyes away, looking at the now ominous place. "There, you'll learn. It's a sanctuary for people like you— with weird magic and all these weird things," Kagome shakes her head in denial, wide eyes begging Carol to stop. Her friend shakes her own head in response. "No, no, see? You'll find your own path. It'll take time but you'll _see!_ You must, do you hear me? _You must—"_ she emphasizes, desperate. "You must learn. And I—" She hesitates, mouth open.

"You won't leave me alone," Kagome hisses back. _You can't!_ "Who are they? We can fight. _Together!_ "

"You—" she takes a step away, looks back at the crowd with a frown. Kagome follows to look at the same point. Being so tall is strange, but gives a clear way for her to see the men and women in black clothing a good distance away from them, cutting through the crowd and heading directly towards them. Her eyes clash with one of them, and his glare fuels rage inside of her. She recognizes some of them as the ones who grabbed her from her little cardboard bed on that fateful day.

 _I. Won't. Go. Back._

She bares her teeth at them, curling her hands into shaking fists.

 _I won't go back._

She swallows any lingering past fear their weapons — _she remembers the corrupted energy, how it polluted her, broke her_ — bring back.

 _Iwon'tgobackIwon'tgobackIwon'tgoback—_

Carol makes a sound, frustration clear as she grabs Kagome's shoulders. She pushes until Kagome's back is facing the building. The men are closing in on them, she can see them behind Carol's shoulders. "Kagome," her _friend_ shakes her, grabbing her attention. She licks her lips, eyes frantic as she searches her face for something. "We don't have _time,_ " she whispers furiously. Kagome grabs her arms, hands fisting into the leather of her jacket.

"I don't care," she shakes her head, a hopeless smile playing on her lips. "I won't leave you—" _please don't leave me,_ "We can _make_ time!"

Carol stops. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. The crowd closes in on them, the light turns green behind them. Cars speed past as people stop, forming a barrier between them and the approaching men. Kagome senses it before she sees it; Carol's power flaring up the world around them, tendrils of energy curling softly around them as she opens gold blazing eyes. She feels herself letting go of the woman's arms, barely takes a step back when Carol half turns. One fist is pointed at the threats not five feet away, pushing people out of their way to reach them.

"Kagome," Her other fist is pointed at _her chest_. Blue eyes rise to meet desperate brown. "You need to help us. _Our future depends on you._ " Carol blasts the man away with a resounding boom. Kagome doesn't get to see what happens next, blasted all the way across the street and directly through the sanctuary's door. She feels the wood giving in to the terrifying force pushing her.

She clashes into a staircase. Wood pieces and broken stone pierce into her back and her shoulder feels weird as debris flies away. Kagome gasps silently, coughs and tries to breathe through the pain in her ribcage and back, but the dust makes her rack up even more. The dusty air cuts into her airways as she tries to find grip on the broken pieces of wood and stone behind her. Her head is spinning, her vision filled with black dots. She doesn't know what way is up or down, or where she is anymore. All she can think about is Carol's blazing fist pointed at her chest, betrayal, and confusion making the blood pooling in her mouth taste bitter.

A strong light comes from ahead of her, along with screams and explosions, pulling her barely conscious mind to attention. She barely sees Carol's blazing body light up the street before someone steps in front of her, blocking the view to the street through the hole she broke through the door. Cold eyes stare down at her, assessing. A small woman with black hair tied into a severe side fishtail braid, strange black clothes, and a staff, stands between her and her friend.

The woman snaps the bottom of the staff onto the ground and a runic circle lights up on the dirty floor, breaking away into fiery energy runic lines traveling behind the woman towards the arch of the door and ahead of her, behind Kagome, fixing everything they came to pass. The door and staircase return to their pristine stage, Kagome's body rising up with the fixed steps just as the door closes with a resounding boom.

Now, the woman stands between her and her freedom.

Questions blind her, fear overcomes all else. Kagome tries crawling away from the woman. She's forced to stop with a breathless gasp, the pain too much to bear. She weeps, brokenly, dryly. Her vision is a mess of colors and visions, voices haunt her, scream at her. Power fizzles at her fingertips, pink and bright. It crackles in the air, breaking the stairs under her once more. Her energy fills the air around her, making it heavy as the broken pieces rise and circle around her.

Kagome forces herself to crawl up the steps, ignoring the way the woman patiently accompanies her onto to the second floor. Tears trickle down her cheeks freely, and she sobs pathetically on the floor, heaving for breath. _Her body isn't healing,_ she thinks distantly. Her fingers are bleeding from the effort it took to crawl, her wrists feel like they would snap at any moment. Her knees are on fire and her back feels like it is completely broken. Kagome's head is heavy, her vision failing her.

It hurts to breathe.

Only four feet into the second floor, Kagome collapses. Her breathing sounds wrong, and she thinks she's going to drown in her tears when her face hits the floor and she tilts her head to the side to watch the mysterious woman. Salty tears and blood mix well on the tongue, her probably concussed mind takes note.

The woman tilts her head at her, leaning on her staff and watching her like she's nothing but an interesting object at a fair. Kagome blinks once, twice, then not at all.

•••

Anomaly. There was an anomaly in her Sanctum.

Tina blinked owlishly at the fallen young woman, calm despite the blood spilling out of her mouth and wounds and bruises darkening her skin. Pursing her lips, Tina looked down the staircase and towards the great front door. The sounds of the panicked crowd still resounded out in the streets. Sirens could be heard approaching in the distance. Thankfully, her disciples were already out dealing with whatever had caused such disturbance.

The Outer Worldly One had visited far too early.

Carol Denvers visited Earth once more and did it much earlier than the Ancient One ever warned them. _Too early_ , Tina wondered, stepping over the anomaly's body and towards the front door.

"Master Minoru!" said woman stopped her descent, the slight tilt of her head the only sign of her paying attention. "What should we do with the intruder?" there's a touch of poison in the disciple's voice, and she can hear the agreement amongst his fellows. The anomaly destroyed the entrance to their Sanctum and she was shrouded in strange energy. They saw the girl as a threat.

Tina turned, putting her weight on one foot and staring up the staircase, following the blood trail until the second floor. A few of her students were kneeled by the girl, some standing a few ways away with closed expression and crossed arms, sneers and narrowed eyes.

Unsure herself, Tine hesitated. As the master of the Sanctum, they would — _they were obligated to_ — obey her at all costs, but she could not simply give in to her curiosity for this strange being. They were her responsibility, given and consented by the Ancient One herself.

"…" despite all that, the Ancient One saw what no other could. She guarded time, she saw beyond it. There was nothing quite hidden from her and, mayhap, this was a test. Once more, she turned her eyes to the dangling feet of the unconscious young woman halfway into the second floor. Tina blinked, a small smirk forming on thin lips before she gave her orders. "Take her to the infirmary. Make sure she won't leave, and that she's alive when I come back."

The entrance hall echoed with their acquiescence, and Tina didn't stay long enough to see them take away the girl. The doors of the Hong Kong Sanctum were opened in haste by one disciple pantingly waiting by the door. She stepped out into the street with sharp eyes already looking for trouble. Chaos reigned, and a dome shone dully around the premise of the Mystic Arts' base. Five of her students stop on the edges of the dome on the sidewalk of their building. Hands thrown before them, runic circles shone brightly orange as they kept the shield up.

Mortals ran in panic around them, never stepping close to their base, kept away by their spells. Tina perused the frantic crowd, finding the eye of the hurricane in the incredible force of nature that was Carol Danvers casually destroying their surroundings as she fought with enhanced humans.

The Mystic Arts' master narrowed her eyes at the suited men and women attacking Danvers. Their semblance and unnatural musculature, as well as their deranged expressions didn't bode well at all. She twirled her staff at the sudden nervous energy rising from her belly. Her palms were sweaty but her grip and skill were sure, and the magic staff twirled in a perfect circle before she slammed one end of it on the ground. Her voice boomed, severe "Report!"

"Master, it appears that both women have significant amounts of energy, and the one who remained behind was trying to save the other from these…monstrosities," so they were smart enough to notice the clear inhuman aspect in the altered humans attempting to battle Carol Denvers. Good. "The blonde one blasted the girl into the Sanctum, but she had seemed to already be heading directly there. We don't know exactly why. Or how they found us."

She nodded, eyes moving away from the brutal fighting and towards the debris and destruction. "Casualties?"

"None," the answer was absolute. "We made sure of it, in the most discreet way possible, and have been guiding them away from the path of destruction through spells.." Tina turned to face the training Master with an approving smile, allowing warmth to pool in her eyes for a brief moment as she met his gaze.

"Well done, Mu." The young disciple nods and bows respectfully before returning to his designed position in the spell circle. The runes flare brighter when his own spells join the others'. She looks around her disciples, seeing that each and every one of them were doing their job well enough before setting her sight on the fighting woman once more. She shone like a star. The amount of energy she emitted was breathtaking. It humbled her somewhat, to be reminded that there were being of such great amount of power in the vast universe.

Shaking away such daydreams, Tina flexed her fingers before stepping forward. Soon she was running head-on into battle, intercepting one flying blue shot of energy with a glowing runic shield from hitting Denvers' back. With one quickly formed energy whip around a neck, a slight alteration to the energy runes and the whip cuts the not-quite-human's head clean off. The body barely falls on the ground before she turns, sweeping her staff low and knocking another off their feet. A quick hit to the head, a spell that severed their brains and they are down.

It took less than five minutes for them to deal with the onslaught of not-humans attacking. Twenty of them, all armed with Chitauri-esque weapons and most probably genetically altered in some kind of form. Tina stopped, wary stance never relaxing as she perused the fallen bodies. In the distance, she could see the authorities looking at them warily. Or, more precisely, at the woman on her back. Tine's presence was most likely hidden by her comrades.

"Help her," came from behind her. Tina turned, straightening her back to face the infamous Captain Marvel, who had somehow survived absorbing energy from one of the Infinity Stones.

Mystic Arts Master Tina Mamoru, Master Sorcerer of the Hong Kong Sanctum, met the heavy gaze of one Carol Denvers. Barely a blink passed, her mouth had just opened to ask questions when a white, black and red suit covered the red, blue and gold of the alien hybrid's. Tina's eyes widened, gaping as a helmet covered the blonde woman's head and she blinked out of existence.

•••

"Well, that sounds unfortunate."

"Unfo— _unfortunate?!_ " watching Karl Mordo get particularly bothered by things taken too lightly had always been entertaining. A pity, truly, that Tina couldn't feel the particular joy she always did when the closest and most devout Sorcerer to the Ancient One reacted to the newest threat to Earth. "One of the most powerful beings to ever grace Earth has brought us an _anomaly_ that not even the _Ancient One can sense!_ "

"I still cannot, you know," the bald woman added, looking thoughtfully at the sleeping young woman laid on the infirmary bed. "It's like she flows right out of time…not even the Eye can see her. I'm blind to her."

"She must be dealt with—"

Tina frowned heavily at the older man, taking a step closer to the young woman and laying a hand on top of her pale one. "Don't say such things, Karl Mordo," she started, meeting the eyes of each of the sorcerers reunited in the room. "Carol Denvers brought this woman to our attention when Denvers should've never even known of our existence. We cannot just _deal_ with her without having our answers."

A snort and a humorless chuckle come from the far side of the infirmary, where Kaecilius stood by the window, looking out on the street with a bitter smile. "As always, we are always so eager to destroy a life that we know nothing of."

"She's a _threat_."

Kaecilius turned to stare coldly at Karl Mordo. "She's a child."

This time, it was Sol Rama, the oldest among them other than the Ancient One, and Master of the London Sanctum, who snorted. "She's a young lady, but a child she most surely isn't," he sighed quietly, looking at the girl's tired face and thin body. Her cheekbones were quite pronounced, her skin sickly and the dark circles beneath her eyes were ghastly. Tina remembered the extension of her injuries and malnutrition, and cringed slightly, moving her gaze away.

"She has suffered greatly, yes, despite her quick recovery," the Ancient One agreed softly. Tina looked over the girl's body, no longer as broken as it had been when Carol Denvers' power wrecked her and the Sanctum's wards fought with her own immense powers. It made her shudder, just to think that such ancient wards against foreign and unknown entities were merely stepping stones that were soon overcome, so easily, by this mere slip of a girl. "And the power her body holds within is quite…" her lips twitched like she found something profoundly amusing. "Wild. Untouched. Unrestrained."

"Dangerous," Daniel Drumm added. He had his arms crossed, stance firm behind the Ancient One as he watched the unconscious young woman. The Master of the New York Sanctum had always been grave, curt and direct to the point. Tina quite enjoyed him. "If left unchecked, she could hurt herself…and others."

Tina nodded, as did Sol Rama. Karl remained with a firm scowl aimed at the sleeping young woman while Kaecilius simply looked away. Tina wondered what the newest one in the Ancient One's inner circle thought of their discussions. It was the first time he was brought into such big reunions. Said Ancient One tilted her head to the side, one hand rising to hold her chin in thought before speaking. "So you propose we should welcome her into our ranks?" Karl Mordo gasped in clear outrage, Kaecilius turned to face them, one eyebrow raised while Tina couldn't hold back the snort. "Oh, you find this amusing, Master Minoru?" Tina snapped to seriousness once more, but at the tranquility in the Sorceress Supreme's eyes, she calmed. Inclining her head, Tina brought forward her thoughts with careful words.

"While what Master Mordo says stands true," the sorcerer in question crossed his arms, eyes burning into her figure. Tina ignored him in favor of their leader. "Masters Kaecilius and Drumm also see reason. She is young, and clearly lost," at this, she turned to face the sleeping female once more. "While Danvers is a force to reckon and we are right to be wary," she turned, facing the group, meeting each pair of eyes. "She is also a protector of our home, of our planet. And she brought this young, lost and hurt soul to us," she gestured at the sleeping woman. "To turn her away…" her eyes softened, returning to their silent vigil of the young one. "Would be to forgone the very lessons you taught us as Masters of the Mystic Arts."

They all took their time to listen, remaining in silence when she ended her speech. She could see each of them had truly listened to her words, considering the meaning behind them. They all had been lost, hurt when the Ancient One found and helped them stand on their own feet again. Each of them was here because of the woman. Their power and independence; they owed her for giving them a chance to have it.

"Well spoken, Master Minoru." the Ancient grinned at her, a soft look in her face that Tina answered in kind. The Sorcerer Supreme turned to look at the lot of them, a solemn look falling over her visage. They straightened, those who were farther walked closer. She waited patiently for each of them to stand at attention before making her decision known. "The Anomaly shall remain here, in the Hong Kong Sanctum," not as surprising as Karl made it look with his thunderous frown. "I'll put a language spell on her, it'll facilitate future interactions." The Ancient One turned her head to look at Tina and she straightened to meet her solemn gaze. "You will help her, you will question and you will answer her." She took a step closer, reaching towards her hands and holding them tightly. " _Guide_ her," her face fell into something harder, colder. "Assess her."

Tina nodded in acquiescence, accepting her mission.

•••

 _She is awake,_ Tina thought numbly when the powerful energy spiked, sending waves and waves of its peculiar energy throughout the Sanctum. _She is like a supernova_ , Tina blinked, breathless for a moment at the sheer intensity of the power crashing like raging waves against her senses. How could she hold so much? How could she siphon so much power through her body?

Where does it come from?

The Master turned on her heel, snapping the Book of Chains closed and waving her hand into a simple spell to make it lock itself into its place. Other sorcerers looked around in wonder and anxiety. Frowns lined up the faces of almost everyone she passed until reaching the infirmary. The Sanctum itself and all the magic items it held hummed in pleasure and curiosity, awaken and hungry for more. The building pulsed, clashing spiritual forces mixing as well as water and oil.

 _("Be careful," the Sorcerer Supreme warned. "I cannot see her, I cannot see the dangers you will face.")_

The Infirmary was emptied just for the girl. The patients themselves wouldn't trust a stranger with unknown and uncontrolled powers to remain in their presence. Somehow, the door seemed awfully intimidating. Breathing was hard so close to the source of such uncontrollable energy.

Source.

Tina's eyes widened. Her heart stopped before fluttering into a frenzied rhythm. Might it be that the girl herself was the source of the unique energy…?

No, she shook her head. All beings harnessed energy from _something_ or _somewhere_ into power. Even Carol Denvers used the Space Stone's power through her body. This mere girl couldn't be breaking the laws of the multi-verse. Gritting her teeth, Tina straightened her back, aware of the sorcerers at her back watching and judging her from behind. This would be just one more challenge she'd face in her position of leadership, one more test to her powers and abilities. She walked resolutely towards the door, hand falling on the door handle, turning it and pushing it open.

Sunlight cut into the room. The high ceiling and big industrial windows allowing plenty of light to pour in. Everything was painted golden, the white sheets of the dozens of medical beds lining up the walls tinted yellow with the sun. On the wall facing the windows, six beds away from the entrance, the sole occupant of the room was sitting on the bedding.

With her head facing down, looking at her raised hands, she hid her expressions from onlookers. Only the slight quick moving of her shoulders and the trembling of her hands were telling of her feelings. Tina pursed her lips, walking into the room, one finger drawing a small runic circle activating the privacy barrier and closing off the room to all others. The door closed silently behind her, and the young woman finally looked up from the inspection of her hands to find Tina slowly moving towards her.

The girl was quick to scramble out of bed, on the side opposite to where Tina was. Her head moved around, eyes searching for a way out before settling on the big industrial windows. She ran, crossing the corridor of beds and slamming on the window, searching for a latch. Tina walked calmly towards the frantic girl, reaching her and stopping at the foot of the closest bed.

She turned to face her, clear blue eyes blazing with defiance as that same pink energy crackled from her fingers up her arms. She crouched low, eyes swirling a vivid lilac. The pressing force of her untamed powers made it harder to breathe, and Tina was already heaving hard.

Still, she pressed forward.

"You are in one of the three bases of the Masters of the Mystic Arts," she started, watching closely to the girl. "You were _thrown_ into my Sanctum," she moved her own arms, runic circles adorning her arms and fists before she slammed both fists together, a shield taking form around her and protecting her from the sheer strength of the girl's unrefined use of power. The girl yelped, energy dissipated into its previous chaotic but asleep state. Her eyes widened in fear, light blue reflecting the fiery runes of the Mystic Arts. "We took you in, healed your wounds, gave you shelter," she stopped at arm's length of the girl, careful to not get too close. If the girl focused on her, she could very well break the shield. "And here you pay us back with unrestricted use of energy, threatening to suffocate my disciples and brothers and sisters-in-arms with your unchecked power," she raised an eyebrow, hoping that the girl was too surprised to notice the strain in her voice, the sweat on her brow, the slight shaking of her fingers.

Too much. Too much power.

Her face hardened, eyes cold as she ordered, "restrain yourself!"

And the suffocating energy was gone.

The girl heaved for breath, falling to her knees and crawling back to the wall. She watched her with wide eyes, confused and lost. The fair hairs of her eyebrows were scrunched up together, her black hair a mess. Her lower lip wobbled pitifully, tears gathering in her eyes, wetting long and fair lashes. Her tall body was gangly and awkward, pushed close to the wall, curled into a fetal position. She grasped desperately at herself, shaking her head and trembling like a leaf.

Finally safe from the onslaught of power, Tina allowed the shield to fall and her face to soften. The girl only whimpered lowly at the sight of the fiery runes dissipating in small light particles. Tina kneeled slowly, careful to not spook her anymore she already had. She sat on the ground with her legs crossed and hands on clear view on top of her knees, directly in front of her, and waited.

The light coming from the windows intensified and moved in the room, the day bloomed into life as time passed. Like the day, the girl took her time, slowly uncoiling and relaxing as much as she could, watching her warily. Finally, nearly an hour later, she asked, "where is Carol?"

Tina smiled, "The Outer Worldly One has come and gone," she tilted her head. "I believe you were her mission here, this time?" Confusion clouded her delicate features before she nodded, hurt blooming in her eyes.

"She—she told me she came from—from—" she closes her eyes, one hand coming to massage her head.

"Another planet?" she prodded carefully, leaning closer in curiosity.

The girl shook her head, frowning. "No—no. From—from…" she opens her eyes, face contorting before meeting her gaze. "She said she came from the future," her electric blue eyes met her brown ones, a solemn look making the girl look awfully ominous. "That she needed to help me reach a—a sanctuary…" she looked down, face twisting in distress. "She—she _blew me away._ She—she said that I…that that place was—" she hesitated, words getting stuck in her throat as she spoke. It was clear she was holding herself back, trying to stop herself from crying. Tina put her hand on her shoulder, slowly, and the girl snapped her face up to look at her with wide eyes. Tina smiled softly at her, encouraging. The girl spoke softly, voice haunting. "Carol—she told me I had to learn there, in the sanctuary, so I…" she gulped, and Tina couldn't stop herself from shivering slightly at the look in her eyes. "So I could help save her… so _I_ could help _her_ to save _our_ future."

Tina's smile fell.

•••

Summer rains were always bothersome, Tina never enjoyed them.

 _("My name is Kagome Higurashi.")_

It was quite chilly and pleasant as the rainwater fell, but, afterward, it was humid and hot and just overall disgusting.

 _("Carol Denvers saved me.")_

Maybe she should see with the Ancient One if she could take any away mission for the next Summer. She hated to spend it in Hong Kong.

 _("She told me my future self sent her to me.")_

Thunder roared outside, the strong wind sending the raindrops to hit the glass like stones. The storm raged over the city.

 _("She told me I need to learn, but didn't tell me what. Or why.")_

It was an unnatural storm.

 _("Only that…Only that lives depend on it. Many lives.")_

Tina breathed out, breathed in.

 _("She told me I'd find help here.")_

One sorcerer approached her, reporting calmly. "The altered humans who were killed and taken in by the authorities mysteriously disappeared. Agents all over the city, from two different groups, continue their search for her."

"Is there any chance for them to have access to us?" _Is there any connection to the Mystic Arts or any other magiks?_

She saw Mu shaking his head softly, clasping his hands in front of him. "No, they have advanced technology, but no access to our base, or ways to counteract our spells and defenses."

Tina breathed out, relaxing minutely. "Good," she answered, nodding in approval before returning to her silent vigil over the storm. "What about the girl?"

"She's been given a room, new clothes, and a meal. Her things were given clearance and put into her room. She's eaten and is now resting," he stopped, looked down. "She asked for you."

"Very well," Tina nodded, during her lips and straightening her back. "You may return to your duties."

"Yes, master," he bowed respectfully before turning away. She watched him go before heading towards the girl's — _Kagome_ — room.

•••

Tina walked into the room assigned to the Anomaly, finding her sitting on the bed. Her posture was wrong, slouched. Her eyes were glued to her hands, resting on her knees, palms up. Her blue eyes were electric, a bright blue that hypnotized. Now, those eyes were aimed at her with caution. She stood when Tina closed the door behind her, slouch slowly disappearing, giving way to a hit-and-run posture Tina was quite used to.

Tina lowered her head, hiding her smirk by turning her head away from her as she moved closer to the single industrial window in the room. She was surprised to find the girl there and the window still intact, and she told her so, "you're still here, I see." She heard the girl shift behind her.

"I still don't know why Carol brought me to you," _neither do I_ , she thought, a sardonic smile on her lips. "And she—she's not here, but those people haven't bothered us at all so…" So she was smart enough to join a few pieces of the puzzle.

"So you stayed put, where you know you're safe."

The girl looked at her with blank eyes, "safer than the last place I've been taken to, yes."

"And where was that?" Tina put one hand over the old dresser pushed under the window, palm sliding over its surface. The girl remained quiet. "I suppose those agents Denvers fought off are connected to such a place."

"Did you see her?" The girl scrambled off her bed, voice pleading and one hand pulling at one of Tina's sleeves. "Is she alright?" Her eyes were big, a strange shape that came from her mixed heritage, she supposed. Her eye and face shape and coloring were features that were clearly a strange mix of Asian and European. They marked the girl as being of mixed heritage. Her name was a given too, but those were easily changed.

She turned around, staring up at the girl. Despite the girl's towering height over her, the thinness of her limbs and vulnerability in her features made her look younger. Tina softened her eyes, one hand coming to rest on one bony shoulder. "I fought alongside her," she smiled to reassure her. The worry in her eyes shone brightly. "And we won; _together_." Her eyes roamed over Tina's body, assessing her. "We did it with no harm coming to us," she narrowed her eyes, looking away and biting on her lower lip. "At least, none that I know of…"

She could feel the gasp leaving the girl's lips as if on her own. The hand still holding her sleeve clenched tightly. Tina saw the slight shiver that wrecked her body. "What…what do you mean?" her voice turned soft, fearful. Guilt, weak and human, took root into her chest at the look on the girl's face. She looked like she was about to fall off her hinges. Tina, of course, set that feeling aside. It was her duty to make her trust them and take as much information as she could. She had to protect the planet, had to protect humanity; sometimes, that duty demanded more of her than it should.

"She was gone," and the girl fell on her knees, a sob escaping her mouth before she covered her pitiful wailing with her free hand. "Before I could reach her, she just…" Her other hand that still grasped tightly to Tina's sleeve let her go as if she was burning. Her shoulders shook as she cried desperately, both hands clawing at her mouth before she curled into herself until her forehead touched the ground. She fell into misery, assuming the worst.

Tina did not correct any of her assumptions.

"But," the weeping ceased at once as the girl snapped her daringly hopeful eyes back at her. "Her last words—" her lips wobbled open into a silent wail, eyes closed as she shook her head. Whispered 'no's were repeated lowly, over and over and over while Tina spoke. "Her last request…" she looked down on her, at the stillness that took over the girl's being. Master Minoru's shadow engulfed the girl's vulnerable self, wrapping her into its shade as she stared down at her with calculating eyes. "…was for me to help you."

The girl remained silent, body shaking occasionally as she looked down at the floor. Again, she stared at the palms of her trembling hands. Tina waited with bated breath, eyes roaming over the young woman's quiet form. Finally, after what felt like hours had passed, her tiny, trembling, weak voice asked. "Will you?" Tina tilted her head, watching closely as she turned her resigned face upward, pleading.

It almost put a smile on her face.

She kneeled, falling to her level. The girl's blue eyes were bland, almost dead but not quite. She must've gone through so much, it hurt to even think about what had made her so…desolate. Why did Danvers leave her? She must've known how important she was to the girl. She must've known it'd hurt and break her more to leave her behind. Still, she was here, unknown, alone and lost. Tina would help her, and she would make sure she'd never become a threat to their world.

"Yes," she smiled. "I will do my very best to help you, Kagome."

•••

Waking up after she'd been left behind, again, is one of the most painful things Kagome has ever had to go through. All of her inside is hollow, her mind fills itself with nuisance to distract itself from the pain. Dust specks float weightlessly in the morning light pouring from her window, and she tries to count them. The traffic outside is silent but slowly picking up, and she tries to find a rhythm in it. The clothes laying on top of the dresser are black blue, like her hair and eyes. Her bed is good, but not as good as the Citiview's. The tears tracks on her cheeks make her face cold.

It's all nothing but a useless effort to try and forget the fact that she is alone in this apparent sanctuary. There's nothing saint about being told to wake up this early, the following day after waking up from heavy injuries, but Kagome doesn't complain.

She washes her face with the water in the small basin on her dresser, dries off with a small towel, and puts on her robes. She ties the blue sash clumsily. Sees the way the ensemble of top, undershirt, and pants are a mess even though they'd been perfectly smooth. She doesn't have the strength to even shrug it off, only looking down at the last piece of clothing left.

A hair band.

Kikyou's perfectly tied and traditional ponytail flashes through her mind, her likeness close to Kagome's own original body making her close her eyes and snarl. She twirls away from it, stomping towards the door and—

She stops.

There's one inch between her and the door, her hand grips the door handle so tightly she thinks she'll break it. Her jaw is so tightly clenched she thinks she's going to shatter it. Frustrated—she's completely, irrevocably, utterly frustrated. She wants to bash the entire room given to her, to tear these clothes from her body, to scream as loud as she can and destroy everything.

She's so _angry_.

 _Why?_ She asks for the thousandth time. _Why me? Why again?_ Tears gather in her eyes, _fucking again_ , despite her despising the feel of them. Carol saved her. Carol healed her. Carol befriended her. Carol…Carol—

 _Carol saved me, and then she left me._

Why must she, Kagome, always be left behind? Why is _she_ the one who needs to always move on, alone? In pain? Why did she have to end up here? Stranded in a place not her own, alone, isolated. Why can't she find a moment of respite?

Where's her _peace?_

 _I want to go home_ , resurges in her mind. The wish resounds in her mind, echoes in the dark corners of the lonely room. It flows in her blood, tunes itself to the beating drum of her heart. Her soul sings for her home, for her family.

She wants this suffering to end.

 _I shouldn't cry_ , she thinks furiously to herself, dragging her forearm over her eyes. _I've cried enough already_ , and she breathes in deeply, throwing her head back and closing her eyes, willing the tears and sorrow away.

Carol said she could save people. She said people needed her in the future. Kagome has no purpose in this world, she has no identity. She is _nothing_. Carol left something behind for her; a will, a duty. Kagome had never been one to run away from duty.

So she takes a deep breath, dries her tears and opens the door. She steps out ready to face the world; like she always did, like she always does.

•••

The first lesson was always the best lesson. Passed down to her, directly from the Ancient One herself, and then to her own students; Tina had always had a deep sense of satisfaction at repeating the same old words that explained the workings of the Mystic Arts. While her newest student seemed not even a bit excited or impressed, sitting in front of her in a slouch, Tina was excited to see how she'd react.

"The language of the Mystic Arts…" she started, her speech an almost perfect mimic of the Ancient One's own accent. Kagome blinked slowly, mouthing 'mystic arts' with a raised eyebrow. "…is as old as civilization." Tina allowed a smirk to grow on her lips as she tilted her head slightly to the side, raising one hand with its palm open. "The sorcerers of old called the use of this language 'spells'." And from her palm bloomed a runic circle, a simple skeleton of what could be a spell but is a mere control exercise.

The girl drew in a sharp breath and Tina dared to raise her eyes up from her palm between them to access her reaction. _Wonder_ , and it made her smile softly. She could easily remember the wonderment of her own first lesson. The first wonderful brilliant strings of flame that shaped the universe in ways she thought impossible. The challenge that had been to face and study for years to reach mastery, how it had been to overcome all conventions she had grown up with.

"These spells act as the keys to the workings of the universe," she closed her hand, dissipating the spell as she watched the girl slowly straighten her back. "Each rune, each line, can bind and shape reality as desired," she slapped her hands together, making the girl flinch and widen her eyes. "We harness energy," her hands glide against each other, one down and one up, conjuring a vertical runic string of fiery energy in the air. Pointer finger against thumb in each hand, she moves them in circular motions in opposite directions. The line became two circles, strings of energy crossing all over it.

The wonder in the girl's eyes grew. "Drawn from other dimensions of the multiverse," the girl's eyes widen enough she was afraid they'd roll out her eye sockets. When Tina's hands were parallel to each other, each having switched their initial positions, she snapped them to the sides of the circle. _Bind,_ she thought. A square appeared around the magic circles already formed, limiting them. The snap of her fingers made the girl flinch away, "to cast spells," more lines filled the second inner circles as the square rotated, forming an eight-pointed star that grew spinning with infinite fractals inside it. _Chain the soul,_ she thought. "To conjure shields, weapons, portals, chains…" Tina took a moment to look away from the girl, to wonder once more at the impossible thing she had taken years of practice to become so proficient at. She held the secret of infinity, as did all of the Mystic Arts users. _Keep her awake,_ she whispered in her mind, making the spell shine brighter. "To make—" she snapped her eyes back to the girl, watching as her image, overlaid by the spell circle, was illuminated in the fiery glow of—" _magic."_

And she pushed the spell towards her.

The girl closed her eyes, cringing away and raising her arms as the intricate binding spell sunk into her skin. Tina was quick, one hand gripping the crown of her head as the girl's power awakened from within. Desperate, Tina put her other hand in position, thumb pressing to the middle of the girl's forehead.

 _"_ Open your _eye!"_

•••

Sound was sucked into a void along with all colors and sensations. She drifted, unbound by gravity. Her humanly body disappeared, her mind expanding beyond the supple flesh of her human shell. For a moment, Kagome saw beyond the void, understood what laid beyond it. It felt welcoming, numbing the pain that still haunted her in the recesses of her spirit. She felt as she finally reached answers to her own mysteries, the secrets that made her who she was became unveiled and then—

She was hurled into the sun. The void was torn open and she was flying into its fiery depths. She screamed as the heat engulfed her, searing, unbearable. Her body dissembled into ashes, scattered across space and reformed, pulled together by the terrifying strength of a black hole.

 _("Something is wrong, she—I'm losing her. I'm losing her!")_

Sight was a concept beyond her eyes, she visualized everything. She could see where before she was blind, her mind perceived things that were—

 _("Kagome, come back! Come back!")_

 _Impossible_ , she thought, staring while her human body assembled from its ashes. Her pale skin shone from within with a pink glow that she was familiar with. The flow of space-time halted, wrenching itself away from her. Pink energy sparkled across her astral body, illuminating the darkness. She looked around with wild eyes. Supernovas surrounded her, cosmic dust twirling around her giant self. She stood gigantic, dwarfing even the biggest of galaxies. She saw far into the universe from her point of view, seeing beyond the horizon of it, what laid at its end, where it was birthed and where it would die.

She reached towards a cluster of stars, body once more dissipating, this time, into energy. Suddenly, she was somewhere, sometime, where there were no stars, no galaxies. Only never-ending tridimensional formations of light that floated lazily with pulsing power.

She fell into herself, glided through fields of dark hair that became strands of tightly knitted energy, glowing ominous red as they opened. Red spider lilies blossomed from the fiery trails left behind by comets, and Kagome burst forth from one of them, falling down its soft petals and into the pits of dark matter.

Colors exploded around her, painting the pink of her soul with green, yellow, orange, purple, red, blue, indigo…The darkness swelled into a prism, reflecting light that coalesced into crystals. Gems glinted prettily in the white expanse of space. They were pulled towards her, each gem encrusting themselves into her body until she was engulfed by them. She shattered with a choked scream, opening her eyes to see a tree made out of celestial golden energy, its branches leading upwards to other worlds. Fantastical worlds with thousands of lives. Their souls shone brightly until they formed a sky filled with distant dying stars.

Something pulled at her, pulled her away for transcending into a higher form. She didn't want to go, she didn't want to go back. No, her way home remained lost in the vast multiverse laid before her. She tried to wrench herself away from the pulling of her being, hand desperately reaching towards the infinite when—

A butterfly.

Bright, cheerful. It beat its wings softly. Kagome looked down, seeing a blue planet she vaguely recalled as hers. The bright orange of the butterfly snatched her attention once more, calling softly to her. One hand extended towards it, fingers reaching towards the earthly being. When the tip of her finger barely grazed against it, with a flutter of wings, it transformed.

It took form of a man. His back was turned towards the blue planet. _Earth_ engulfed his whole self as he looked up at her with a confused frown. He had a long and sharp face, his pale skin looked clammy and sweaty. He looked tired, defeated, but still, a brilliant light shone in his blue eyes.

 _Blue like the summer sky,_ she thought distantly, remembering, suddenly, what summer felt like. His clothes were blue too. Blue shirt, bluer flannel jacket, and light brown pants. He looked dirty, he looked confused and lost, and Kagome felt for him because...because she had once felt the same. _What a mess,_ she thought, taking in his appearance, blinking for the first time after what felt like hours. She watched him, from the frown of his dark eyebrows to the slight wave of his long messy hair.

Behind him, she could suddenly _see._ It was beautiful; more beautiful than any star, supernova and celestial sights she had seen. Earth, with its vast blue expense and fluffy unending clouds, framing this strange mess of a man that was floating in _space_ with her. Kagome breathed through chapped lips, blinked again when the slight itch of dry eyes finally registered through the fog of her senses. In and out, she felt her muscles clench and unclench. She felt cold, hunger.

She felt.

Kagome inhaled, something crisp and pure filling her lungs as her wide eyes watched the man's face tilt to the side, something terribly innocent and curious growing in him. His frown smoothed out, a strange light to his blue eyes as he gazed up at her. He had a terrible beard and terrible messy and dry hair that made an unbelievable smile form on her lips. Their hands were frozen, reaching towards each other. She could see he had hurt his, a cloth tied tightly across his palm.

 _I can help him_ , she remembered. Straining to grasp this man, this reminder of humanity engulfed by the planet they shared. In him, in his image, in his humanity; she found purpose again. She found herself.

 _I am Kagome_ , she thought, trying to grasp his hand, to pull him close. _I am Kagome Higurashi, human, and priestess,_ and her duty was and would be always towards the good. She helped humanity. She helped others. She fought against the forces that threatened life.

Kagome could almost feel his skin against hers, and she strained herself to touch him. He did the same, twisting his tall body to try and find a way closer. His hand seemed so big, it looked like it could cover hers entirely. _I do not belong to infinity,_ their hands touched, the softness of his skin surprising enough to make her gasp. Their eyes met once more. He opened his mouth, the baby blue of his eyes so beautiful and _human_ it brought tears to her eyes.

"Who—" and then they were pulled apart, him up into the vastness of space and she down towards Earth.

•••

"WAKE UP!" Tina screamed, shaking the girl's body. The healer shook her head, looking down in distress.

"She's gone, master," she closed the girl's wide open eyes with a soft touch. "There's nothing we can do." Tina shook her head, not believing her for a second.

 _Not wanting to believe._

Everything was fine, everything was _fine_. She had not the skill to push the girl directly into the multiverse, but she had pushed her through _their_ universe. But the girl's power— _her terrible terrible power—_ interveined, cut her hold over the girl's, burning through her binding spell like it was nothing. Just as her astral form had left Earth, all hold Tina had over her was fizzled out. The girl's own immense energy had blocked her out, had cut the line that let her guide her through the realms.

Kagome had been lost, and nothing they did could stop her heart from losing its rhythm. The girl died in her arms, body seizing and mouth gaping open in a silent scream before falling dead on the ground. The healer hadn't had time to arrive through a portal before the girl stopped breathing.

Not once in her life had Tina left a student to die this way.

Tears pooled in her eyes as she pulled the girl to her lap, head falling down so her their foreheads touched. Her shoulders shook as she mourned the loss of life. Around her, she knew the masters and students, all sorcerers and protectors of Earth, lowered their heads in respect. They mourned with her.

 _I have failed,_ she thought, drawing away from the girl with a delicate sob. She took a deep breath, looking down at the girl. The Anomaly.

 _Kagome,_ she thought to herself. _Her name is Kagome._

Tina used her hand to move a few strands of hair from her face, smiling softly at her. "Rest in peace, child," her smile trembled. "I am so, so very sorry." _I couldn't help you_ , she thought, blinking away the tears that rose up once more. _I may have doomed us all_.

But then, with a flutter of long lashes as light at the beat of a butterfly's wings, Kagome opened her blazing blue eyes. Gasps echoed around them, reverently watching as the girl breathed again. Tina watched with wide eyes as the girl defeated death, all on her own.

Breathless, Tina laughed lowly. Her hands scrambled to grasp the girl's face as she slowly pulled herself up. She turned her face to one side, then the other, her hands blazed with a scanning spell. Information poured into her mind, scrambled — _coded_ — and making it nearly impossible for her to know if the girl was okay. Kagome grasped her wrists, gently pulling her hands away. Her wide eyes looked at her in a new light, clear of everything that had haunted her when they first met. "There are ways to other universes," her mouth moved again, but no sound came out of it. There was a fragile hope in her that Tina hadn't yet seen. "There are ways…" she breathed out, a beautiful smile blooming on her lips. "There are ways for me to go back home."

•••

 **A/N:** gAsp who is that hobo stranger butterfly man?

I DIDN'T POST ON THE FRIDAY I WAS SUPPOSED TO BUT FUCK IT THIS CHAPTER DESERVED PROPER ATTENTION.

It was so fucking intimidating to describe Kagome's astral trip like wtf, have you seen the movie? It's such an indescribable thing to describe. It's so fucking visual. I still tried tho cause it's IMPORTANT. Did you guys like it? Any thoughts on it?

Tina is a complex character, somewhat. She's canon but she's not very fleshed out, even in the comics. I tried to use a lot of that heavy duty aspect of the Masters of the Mystic Arts as the main base for her character. Protecting the Realm and Earth and life is THE priority, and, as those who saw Endgame can tell (i did and yeet), they can be quite cruel as long as their mission is complete. It's tragic but necessary. Their responsibility asks them to forgo things that are important for the greater good, and sometimes, most of the times, the greater good demands sacrifices. It won't always be about who lives or who dies. It can be about manipulating the truth, manipulating someone into doing what they think necessary and all that. Yeah yeah, it's all very philosophical, and a study of moral and priorities and ethics and yada yada yada.

Kagome's astral trip: yep, her physical body died. It's a result of her powers. I had to cut a good chunk of this chapter cause it was getting too long and mixing up stuff. *sighs* oh the burden. Does someone have any theories? I appreciate theories.

Really tho. You guys are scary sometimes, anyone has any ideas what's this leading to? How does Butterfly man fit in? WHO IS BUTTERFLY MAN?

(yes i've seen endgame yehaw let's roll!11!1! everything is lining up as I FUCKING WANTED)

~mari


End file.
